Vladimir Putin will visit China next week for high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, underscoring the deepening alliance between Moscow and Beijing as tensions mount globally.
The Kremlin said Putin will travel to Beijing on May 19-20 to meet Xi. The visit comes just days after US President Donald Trump concluded his own state visit to China, where he discussed trade, global security, and the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Russian officials said Putin’s visit will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship, a pact that strengthened political, economic and military ties between the two countries.
Putin and Xi will talk about trade cooperation, energy cooperation, security issues and major international issues, including the war in Ukraine and tensions between China and the United States.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the two countries have significantly strengthened their relationship. Western sanctions isolated Moscow from many European and American markets, further boosting Russia’s dependence on China for trade, banking support, technology and energy exports.
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Now China is one of Russia’s biggest economic partners, importing vast quantities of Russian oil and gas and ramping up trade ties with Moscow. Beijing insists it is neutral in the Ukraine war, but Western countries keep accusing China of helping Russia to offset the impact of international sanctions.
Putin’s visit also sends a geopolitical message to Washington, analysts say, especially in the wake of Trump’s recent talks with Xi. Russia and China continue to posture as global powers and counter Western influence in international politics.
The two leaders have been personal friends for years. On Putin’s last visit to China in 2025, Xi called him a “old friend,” and Putin called Xi his “dear friend.”
Later this year, Putin will also travel back to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen.
Meanwhile, fighting between Russia and Ukraine continues, despite diplomatic efforts and prisoner exchanges between the two countries.
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Ukraine said on Saturday that Russia had returned the bodies of 528 people believed to be Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian officials said forensic experts will identify the remains and return them to families.
The announcement came shortly after Russia and Ukraine exchanged 205 prisoners of war each. The swap was the first step in a wider exchange of 1,000 prisoners from both countries, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, Russia and Ukraine kept up overnight drone assaults against each other. Ukrainian officials said Russian drones struck residential buildings and port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region, injuring civilians and causing significant damage.
Russia’s Defence Ministry also said its forces downed more than 100 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, including areas near Moscow and Crimea.
Despite diplomatic talks and growing international calls for peace talks, the continuing attacks suggest that the conflict is far from over.
