Putin Says Xi Jinping To Visit Russia, Ties With China Reaching 'New Milestones': Report

Wang Yi said to Putin that a tumultuous international situation had not affected their relationship and that crises provided opportunities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to China's President Xi Jinping

Source : File Photo/AFP

New Delhi: In response to US concerns that Beijing could provide material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that China's Xi Jinping would visit Russia, claiming that relations had reached "new frontiers," reported news agency Reuters.

A potential escalation of the Ukraine conflict into a conflict between Russia and China on the one hand and Ukraine and the NATO military alliance led by the United States on the other would be posed by Chinese weapons supplies to Russia.

Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, was greeted by Putin at the Kremlin and informed that bilateral trade was performing better than anticipated and could soon reach $200 billion annually, up from $185 billion in 2022.

"We await a visit of the President of the People's Republic of China to Russia, we have agreed on this," Putin told Wang.

"Everything is progressing, developing. We are reaching new frontiers," Putin said.

Wang stated to Putin that a tumultuous international situation had not affected their relationship and that crises provided opportunities.

Through an interpreter, Wang stated that the relationship between China and Russia was not directed against any third party and would "not succumb to pressure from third parties," clearly referring to the United States.

"Together we support multi-polarity and democratisation in international relations," Wang told Putin. "This fully meets the course of time and history; it also meets the interests of the majority of countries."

Wang said that he was looking forward to concluding new agreements during his visit to Moscow when he had previously met with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The agreements did not contain any specifics.

A "no limits" partnership was signed by Xi and Putin when they met face to face just before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, which worried the West.

One of Moscow's primary sources of revenue for the state coffers is oil, which is primarily purchased by China.