Informed sources told Reuters that Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to travel to the Russian capital, Moscow, soon, perhaps next week, to meet his counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The informed sources declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The plans for the visit come as China has offered to broker peace in Ukraine, an effort that has been met with skepticism in the West given China’s diplomatic support for Russia.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment, and the Kremlin declined to comment.
Russia’s Tass news agency reported on Jan. 30 that Putin had invited Xi to visit Moscow in the spring. Last month, the American Wall Street Journal revealed that the visit could take place in April or early May.
In late February, the Chinese Foreign Ministry published a 12-item proposal to achieve peace in Ukraine in conjunction with the first anniversary of the outbreak of the war, which has no sign of an end on the horizon.
The Chinese declaration focuses on a cease-fire between Moscow and Kiev, and the initiation of peace talks between the two parties to end the war, which broke out at dawn on February 24, 2022.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “Russia appreciates China’s efforts” to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
For his part, the Ukrainian President welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky, with “some” elements of the Chinese proposal, but said that “the country in which the war is taking place should launch the peace plan.”
On the other hand, US President Joe Biden criticized China’s peace plan, adding, “The idea that China is negotiating the results of the war in Ukraine is not rational.”
