Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his “intention” to travel to China in October following an invitation from his counterpart, Xi Jinping, who visited Moscow in March.
Vladimir Putin “intends” to visit China in October, following an invitation from his counterpart Xi Jinping, who visited Moscow last March, said Kremlin’s diplomatic adviser, Yuri Ushakov, on Tuesday. “We have received an invitation, and we intend to go to China during the ‘Belt and Road Forum,’ which will take place in October,” said Yuri Ushakov, as cited by Russian news agencies.
This would be Vladimir Putin’s first trip to China since the beginning of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. A few weeks before the assault on Kyiv, he had visited Beijing during the Winter Olympics hosted by China.
“The New Silk Roads” Russia and China maintain close relations, which have strengthened since the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine and the wave of Western sanctions that hit the Russian economy. Beijing, on its part, made a point not to condemn the Russian assault on Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow in March, where he stated that bilateral relations were “entering a new era.” Both countries share a common desire to counter what they perceive as American hegemony and have recently drawn closer in the military sphere.
In 2017 and 2019, Vladimir Putin attended the first two editions of the “Belt and Road Forum” in China, alongside other international leaders. The forum takes its name from China’s ambitious project of the “New Silk Roads,” which aims to develop roads, ports, railways, and other infrastructure overseas, funded by China.
