Informal meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping begins in the Kremlin

An informal meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping began in the Kremlin, transmits Kremlin press office.

Putin welcomed Xi Jinping to Moscow, addressing him as “dear friend.” Earlier today, on March 20, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov reported that the informal meeting of the heads of state would be held one-on-one.

The main day of the state visit of the President of China will take place on March 21. Then there will be an official meeting ceremony, which will begin at 15:00 Moscow time, negotiations in a narrow and expanded format, signing of documents, as well as statements for the media. Peskov also noted that the topics of China’s peace plan for Ukraine will be touched upon during the talks between the heads of state. According to Peskov, Putin will give comprehensive explanations on the situation in Ukraine.

Xi Jinping arrived to Moscow today around 13:00 Moscow time and stayed at one of the hotels of the Chinese chain. He will stay on a visit to Moscow until March 22. After landing in Moscow, he expressed confidence that his working trip will be fruitful and “will give new impetus to the healthy and stable development of Sino-Russian relations.” Xi Jinping stressed that Russia and China are good neighbors and reliable partners who are connected by “mountains and rivers.”