The information was provided to Reuters by five sources familiar with the matter
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China in May for talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, in what could be the Kremlin leader’s first trip abroad in his new presidential term.
The information was provided to Reuters by five sources familiar with the matter. “Putin will visit China,” revealed one of the sources, with the details confirmed independently by four other sources, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
One of the sources said that Putin’s trip to China would probably take place in the second half of May and two others said that Putin’s visit would take place before Xi’s planned trip to Europe.
The Kremlin declined to comment and China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is recalled that China has strengthened its commercial and military ties with Russia in recent years, as the United States and its allies imposed sanctions against both countries, especially Moscow, for the invasion of Ukraine.
The two countries declared an “unlimited” partnership in February 2022, when Putin visited Beijing just days before the invasion.
Putin’s re-election as Russian president over the weekend led Western governments to condemn it as unfair and undemocratic.
However, China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran leader on extending his rule for another six years, highlighting geopolitical fault lines that have widened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
To reporters on Sunday, Putin highlighted that Russia and China share a similar global outlook, enjoy resilient relations, in part due to Putin and Xi’s good personal relations, and that Moscow and Beijing will develop further ties in the coming years.