Putin lauds Chinese peace roadmap for Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the Kremlin for official talks on Tuesday.

The two leaders met behind closed doors first, with a number of top officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, taking part in the negotiations on the Russian side. The meeting was followed by another round of talks with expanded delegations, involving more government ministers and the heads of Russian state corporations.

The negotiations come as a part of the Chinese leader’s three-day visit to Russia, which began on Monday. Earlier in the day, he held bilateral talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. During that meeting, Xi revealed he had invited Putin to visit later this year. The Chinese president also invited Mishustin to visit China.

On Monday, Xi and Putin held almost five hours of informal talks behind closed doors. President Xi’s visit is his first to Russia since the outbreak of the Moscow-Kiev conflict, and also his first foreign trip since securing an unprecedented third term as China’s head of state.

The two nations have reiterated their commitment to build a multipolar world and reinforce their relations, described as a “strategic partnership.” According to Xi, building closer ties with Russia is “a strategic choice China has made on the basis of its own fundamental interests and the prevailing trends of the world.”