Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted on Wednesday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Moscow in the coming months.
While welcoming China’s top diplomat Wang Yi to the Kremlin, he said Jinping’s visit is awaited and there has been an agreement made between the two sides.
“Everything is progressing, developing. We are reaching new frontiers,” said Putin. His announcement came even as the war in Ukraine is set to mark one year on February 24.
The Wall Street Journal quoted people familiar with Xi Jinping’s plans and said his meeting with Putin will be a part of a push for multiparty peace talks as Beijing wishes to play an active role in ending the conflict in Ukraine. Further, the arrangements for the Chinese President’s visits are at an early stage and the timing hasn’t been completed, said the report.
Xi Jinping is expected to visit Russia in April or in early March when the country will be celebrating its World War II victory over Germany.
The news of Xi Jinping’s expected visit to Russia is worrying for the US. The US State Department said on Wednesday that it was concerned of a greater alignment between China and Russia. Earlier, Washington said China is considering providing weapons for Russia’s war in Ukraine. This would escalate the conflict into a confrontation between Russia and China on the one side and Ukraine and the US-led Nato military alliance on the other.
CHINA’S TOP DIPLOMAT ARRIVES IN RUSSIA
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi arrived in Moscow on Tuesday – a trip which Beijing’s Foreign Ministry described as an opportunity to discuss China-Russia relations and “international and regional hot-spot issues of shared interest.” He met several top leaders, including Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Russian Security Council. He also met Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
According to Russian state media, RIA Novosti, Patrushev told Wang that the “collective West” was waging a campaign to “contain Russia and China, the further deepening of the Russian-Chinese coordination and [their] interaction in the international arena”.
Earlier, Wang said China will issue a position paper on Ukraine this week, timed to the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had said he met with Wang and heard key elements of China’s plan. He said Kyiv was waiting for the full text before drawing conclusions.
Since the start of the war, Beijing has provided diplomatic support to Russia and an economic lifeline amid Western sanctions. China has bought Russian oil and gas and sold microchips and other advanced technologies that have military uses.
China’s new focus on ending the Ukraine war aims to counter the growing distrust toward the country in the Western world. It is also worried that Russia, a key partner in its increased competition with the West, could be significantly weakened if it were to face further significant setbacks or defeat in Ukraine.