China’s Xi to visit Putin in Moscow for first time since Russian invasion of Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia next week to meet with President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin announced on Friday, according to Russian state media.

The March 20-22 visit, Xi’s first trip to Russia in nearly four years, comes amid Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and Beijing’s efforts to present itself as a neutral arbiter of the conflict.

The two leaders are set to discuss “pressing issues related to the future of relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China,” the Kremlin said on Friday, per the Russian state-run news agency TASS.

Putin announced last month during a visit with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi that Xi planned to visit Moscow but had not provided a specific time frame.

China recently presented a 12-point peace plan for “a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis,” which was followed by calls for a cease-fire and negotiations alongside Belarus. However, the U.S. has eyed Beijing’s peace efforts with skepticism, accusing China of “strongly considering” providing Russia with lethal aid for its war effort.