President Vladimir Putin has said he expects his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to make a state visit to Russia next spring, in what would be a public show of solidarity from Beijing amid Russia’s flailing military campaign in Ukraine.
In introductory remarks from a video conference between the two leaders, broadcast on state television on 30 December, Putin said: ‘We are expecting you, dear Mr Chairman, dear friend, we are expecting you next spring on a state visit to Moscow.’
Putin said the visit would ‘demonstrate to the world the closeness of Russian-Chinese relations’
