China has announced that President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday. The move comes in an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin as he faces global pressure to end the invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has confirmed the visit, saying it will take place “at the invitation of Vladimir Putin”.
Xi and Putin will discuss “issues of further developing a comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China,” the Kremlin said.
The meeting will help deepen “Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena,” the Russian government added.
XI JINPING TO TALK TO ZELENSKYY AFTER MEETING WITH PUTIN IN MOSCOW: REPORT
Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds as he listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin via a video link in Beijing December 2, 2019. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP/Noel Celis/pool photo via AP)
The two leaders will also sign “important bilateral documents”, reads the statement.
China has been determined to act in its own interests, while most of the world has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which passed the one-year mark last month.
CHINA’S DIPLOMATIC SUCCESS WITH IRAN AND SAUDI ARABIA RESUME LINKS AFTER SECRET MEETINGS IN BEIJING
Xi refused to condemn the invasion of Moscow but called for a peaceful resolution. China has also called on the international community to recognize and respect the sovereignty of Russia’s rule over its territory, which Russia says includes parts of Ukraine.
This photograph taken on Sept. 11, 2022 shows a Ukrainian soldier standing on an abandoned Russian tank near a village on the outskirts of Izyum in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
Beijing has repeatedly condemned the United States and NATO for provoking Russia.
Putin invited Xi to visit Russia in late December.
FOX NEWS POLL: HALF SAY US SHOULD SUPPORT UKRAINE AS LONG AS IT NEEDS
Putin said the visit could “demonstrate to the whole world the strength of Russian-Chinese ties” and “become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations”.
Black smoke billows from a military airfield in Chuguyev near Kharkiv on February 24, 2022. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang called his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, saying that China has “always upheld an objective and fair position on the Ukrainian issue, is committed to promoting peace and advancing negotiations, and calls on the international community to create conditions for peace talks”.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
President Xi intends to speak with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy after meeting with Putin.
The call would be the first time Zelenskyy and Xi have spoken since Putin first invaded Ukraine.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
