China’s head of state is negotiating important strategic issues with Putin. However, experts do not expect a breakthrough in the conflict in Ukraine.
The red carpet was rolled out for Xi Jinping at Moscow’s government airport almost promptly at noon. In a first speech, the 69-year-old head of state reviewed Russian-Chinese relations over the past decade, which sounded like a single anthem: Xi praised “deeper political trust”, “practical cooperation” and friendship between peoples. , which “took root in the hearts of men.” Xi hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “dear friend”. And he said he was convinced Putin would remain head of state after the 2024 presidential election.
But at the same time, Xi made it clear that his first state visit this year would also be about the war in Ukraine: he spoke of a “detailed exchange of views” with Putin on “important international issues” – and expressed confidence that that your visit “lead to fruitful results”.