State visit: Putin receives China’s head of state Xi Jinping in the Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has received China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping for the first time since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began. The meeting began in the parade hall of the Kremlin in Moscow, as reported by the Interfax news agency. At the start of the talks, Putin said in a brief public statement that Russia was open to negotiations in Ukraine. Moscow has familiarized itself with Beijing’s proposals and is ready to discuss them.

Xi Jinping is on a three-day state visit to Russia. It is also the first trip abroad since he began his third term in office. The visit is intended to demonstrate the good relations between Moscow and Beijing. Unlike the West, China has not criticized Russia’s war against Ukraine. Recently, however, Beijing had positioned itself more strongly as a mediator.

meeting “very important”

Russia attaches great importance to the informal part of the talks, Russian Presidential Advisor Yuri Ushakov said before the meeting. The most important and sensitive questions should be clarified there. This is likely to affect the war against Ukraine in particular.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the meeting between Putin and Xi “very important”. A red carpet was rolled out for the guest at Moscow’s Vnukovo government airport in front of the plane. An official welcoming ceremony, a two-way talk, a conversation in the presence of Russian and Chinese delegations and a joint dinner are planned, he said, according to the Interfax agency.

“Of course Ukraine will be on the agenda,” Peskov added. “Of course, President Putin will provide detailed explanations so that Xi can get the current view of the Russian side firsthand.”