Russia-Ukraine war as it happened: Putin to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing in first visit outside former Soviet Union since March

‘International issues’ will form focus of talks between Putin and Xi on Wednesday

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, will meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing for talks on Wednesday, the Kremlin has confirmed.

The talks will take place on the sidelines of a forum marking a decade of China’s belt and road initiative, the Kremlin said.

“During the talks, special attention will be paid to international and regional issues,” it said, without elaborating.

It will be the Russian president’s first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the international criminal court issued a warrant for him in March over the deportation of children from Ukraine.

Putin has increasingly turned to Beijing for trade and political support since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February.

China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.