Putin Expected To Visit Beijing In May

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Xi Jinping, in what would be the Kremlin chief’s first overseas trip of his new presidential term. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that “Several presidential visits and several high-level contacts are being prepared at the moment. We will inform you as we get closer.”

Putin’s trip to China would probably take place in the second half of May. Putin’s trip to see Xi will probably happen before Xi’s planned trip to Europe where he is expected to discuss the situation in Ukraine with European leaders. China has already stated there is little point in it attending any peace discussions concerning Ukraine unless Russia is part of the process. Russia-China bilateral trade meanwhile reached a record US$240 billion in 2023 with January-February 2024 trade up 7%.

The two men are known to have close personal relations.