Informed sources have confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to travel to the Russian capital, Moscow, soon, possibly next week, to meet his counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment, and the Kremlin also refrained from commenting, according to Reuters.
The planning for the visit comes at a time when China has offered to mediate for peace in Ukraine, efforts that the West has expressed skepticism about due to China's diplomatic support for Russia. Russian news agency TASS reported on January 30 that Putin invited his Chinese counterpart to visit Russia in the spring.
The Wall Street Journal noted last month that Xi's visit to Moscow could be in April or early May. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not commented on the possibility of Xi visiting Moscow, and the Kremlin has also not provided further comments. No additional details were immediately available.
Last month, Putin received senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Moscow and indicated that Xi would be traveling to Russia. China and Russia established a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 during Putin's visit to Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics, just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, reaffirming the strength of their relations. Xi has personally met with his Russian counterpart 39 times since taking office, with the last meeting occurring in September during a summit in Central Asia.
