RTRS-Putin To Visit China In May

(MNI) London - Reuters claiming that according to its sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China for talks with President Xi Jinping in May. This would mark Putin's first foreign trip of his latest term in office, and act as a further signal of Putin's intent to develop increasingly close links with China. RTRS: "Another of the sources said Putin's trip to China would probably take place in the second half of May. Two of the sources said the Putin visit would come before Xi's planned trip to Europe."

• On 18 March reportsemerged that Xi would travel to France in May for talks with President Emmanuel Macron.
• The 'no limits partnership' between Russia and China continues to be a major source of geopolitical concern in the West. Given the huge resources that Russia has had to funnel into its military to sustain its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has become increasingly reliant on Beijing as a trading partner in the wake of Western sanctions.
• Indeed, French President Emmanuel Macron stated in May 2023 that “(Russia) has de facto started a form of vassalization with China and has lost access to the Baltic that was critical to it as it has precipitated the decision by Sweden and Finland to join Nato,” Russian gov't officials pushed back on the comments, calling the Sino-Russian relationship is one of strategic partners.
• Xi was one of the first major world leaders to congratulate Putin after his re-election in a contest deemed neither free nor fair by most Western nations.