Chinese Prez Xi Jinping To Visit Russia Next Week On Putin’s Invitation

President of China Xi Jinping will visit Russia next week, the Chinese foreign ministry said Friday.

“At the invitation of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20 to 22,” the ministry said in a statement.

This will be the first trip of the Chinese president to Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. According to media reports, Xi Jinping is also planning for his first talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky through video conferencing. It will be the Chinese president’s first interaction with Zelensky since Moscow’s invasion.

A visit by Xi Jinping to Russia is important for Putin, who has always tried to portray the war in Ukraine as a conflict with the combined might of the West. Russia now relies on China to sell oil and gas it can no longer sell in Europe.

But if Xi’s visit coincides with a video meeting with Zelensky, that could be an even bigger coup for the Ukrainians, who want Beijing to remain neutral rather than firm up their support for Moscow. Zelensky has called on Xi to speak to him.

China and Russia struck a “no limits” partnership in February of 2022, weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, and the two sides have repeatedly reaffirmed the strength of their ties in public.