Putin awaits 'friend' Xi Jinping as Chinese leader plans visit to Russia for Ukraine peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is waiting to meet his "friend" President Xi Jinping as the Chinese leader reportedly plans a visit to Moscow.

What happened: In talks with a senior Chinese diplomat, Putin hailed Russia's deepening ties with China and said cooperation between Moscow and Beijing was "very important to stabilize the international situation".

Putin also asked Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi, who was on an official trip to Moscow, to convey his greetings to "my friend" Xi.

"We are waiting for the President of the People's Republic of China to visit Russia; we agreed on this earlier."

See also: A million ruble bonus with a high salary - How a mercenary linked to Putin attracts civilians to fight in the war in Ukraine< /p>

The Russian president added that the two allies were reaching "new milestones", notably in trade, which is expected to reach $200 billion ahead of their 2024 target.

"The current international situation is indeed critical and complex, but the relationship between China and Russia is solid as a mountain and can withstand the test of international risks," said Wang to Putin.

Putin's comments came after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Chinese president planned to visit Russia to meet his Russian counterpart in the coming months.

Xi's visit to Moscow will push Putin into multi-party peace talks and allow China to reiterate its calls not to use nuclear weapons.

Find out more Benzinga coverage in Europe and Asia innext < em class="core-block">this link.

© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.