Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from May 7 to 10 to join his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, the Kremlin said.
In a statement, the Russian presidency said Xi would also take part in bilateral talks on "the development of relations of global partnership and strategic interaction" and "current issues on the international and regional agenda."
"A number of bilateral documents between the governments and ministries (of Russia and China, ed.) are expected to be signed," the Kremlin added, quoted by AFP.
The visit comes at a time when Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-day truce (from May 8 to 10) in the conflict with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he refuses to "play" with these short truces proposed by Putin, after another similar truce was proposed in April during the Easter holidays, considering that the deadlines are too short for serious negotiations.
Without categorically rejecting Moscow's proposed three-day truce, Zelensky said that Kiev could not guarantee the safety of international leaders who would visit Moscow for the 80th anniversary celebrations of the victory over Hitler.
"We don't know what Russia will do on that date. It could take various measures, such as fires, explosions, and then blame us," the Ukrainian president said.
In Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's announcement of this truce was seen by observers as a means of preventing Ukrainian strikes that could disrupt the ceremonies.
China presents itself as a neutral party and a potential mediator in the conflict in Ukraine, but remains a key political and economic ally of Russia, to such an extent that the West has described it as a "decisive factor" in Russian aggression, which Beijing has never condemned.
The Chinese authorities are accused of helping Moscow circumvent Western sanctions by allowing it to acquire technological components necessary for the production of weapons for the war.
In April, Zelensky accused China of supplying weapons to Russia, participating in the production of certain weapons on Russian territory, and stated that Chinese soldiers were fighting in the ranks of the Russian army.
Beijing dismissed these accusations as "baseless." | BGNES