MOSCOW – Chinese leader Xi Jinping will pay an official visit to Russia from May 7–10, the Kremlin confirmed Sunday.
Xi was already among the leaders set to attend the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on May 9.
The Kremlin announced that Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia was upon the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. During his visit, Xi participated in the Victory Day celebrations and engaged in discussions with Putin regarding the advancement of their comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. They also addressed various issues on the international and regional agendas.
Putin and Xi will sign a number of bilateral documents, it said.
Xi’s trip to Russia marked his third visit since the Kremlin deployed troops to Ukraine in February 2022. Despite China’s claim of neutrality in the conflict, it has shown support for Russia’s stance that its actions were provoked by the West. Furthermore, China continues to provide crucial components for Moscow’s weapons manufacturing.
Xi Jinping’s previous visits to Russia include attending a BRICS summit in September 2024 and a state visit in March 2023. In return, Putin visited China in October 2023. The two leaders also met in Beijing in May 2024, which marked Putin’s first foreign trip during his fifth presidential term, and in Kazakhstan in July of the same year.
After launching what the Kremlin insists on calling a “special military operation” in Ukraine, Russia has become increasingly dependent economically on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system. China’s increased trade with Russia has helped the country mitigate some of the worst blows from the sanctions.
Moscow has diverted the bulk of its energy exports to China and relied on Chinese companies to import high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.
The leaders of Russia and China have developed strong personal ties that helped boost the relations between Moscow and Beijing.
Moscow accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Saturday of threatening the safety of dignitaries attending Victory Day celebrations after he dismissed Russia’s unilateral 72-hour ceasefire. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine cannot provide security assurances to foreign officials planning to visit Russia around May 9, warning that Moscow could stage provocations and later attempt to blame Ukraine.
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