Russia’s Putin says he plans to visit China in May

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he planned to visit China in May, as reported by Reuters last month.

The trip is likely to be the first overseas visit of Putin’s new six-year term, following an election in March. He last visited China in October 2023.

Putin signed a “no limits” partnership agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping in February 2022 less than three weeks before sending his troops into Ukraine.

Diplomatic and trade ties with Beijing have taken on even greater importance for Moscow as Western countries have hit it with successive waves of sanctions since the start of the war.