Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China on May 19 for a two-day visit, hot on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing, the Kremlin said on Saturday. <\/p>\n
During the trip, the Russian leader will discuss with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping how to “further strengthen the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Moscow and Beijing, according to a Kremlin statement. <\/p>\n
Putin and Xi will “exchange views on key international and regional issues” and sign a joint declaration at the conclusion of their talks, it added. <\/p>\n
As part of the visit, Putin is also scheduled to discuss economic and trade cooperation with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. <\/p>\n
The announcement of Putin’s trip comes just after Trump wrapped up on Friday the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, with the grand reception belying a roster of unresolved trade and geopolitical tensions, including over the Ukraine-Russia conflict. <\/p>\n
Although Trump and Xi discussed the more than four-year-long conflict — as well as the US leader’s stalemated war with Iran — the Republican president took off from China on Friday without appearing to secure a breakthrough on either front. <\/p>\n
While China has regularly called for talks to end the fighting, it has never condemned Russia for sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and presents itself as a neutral party. <\/p>\n
Beijing also denies providing Moscow with weapons and military components for its defense industry, blaming Western countries for prolonging Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II by arming Ukraine instead. <\/p>\n
As the world’s top buyer of Russian fossil fuels, China has become Moscow’s key economic partner, especially since Western countries imposed economic sanctions on Russian oil and gas over the conflict. <\/p>\n
Negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine, brokered by the United States, have appeared stalled since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran which broke out on February 28. <\/p>\n
Moscow has ruled out a ceasefire or comprehensive negotiations with Ukraine unless Kyiv caves to the Kremlin’s maximalist demands. <\/p>\n