Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on May 19-20, shortly after US President Donald Trump concluded his trip to the country

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China on May 19 for a two-day visit, shortly after US President Donald Trump concluded his trip to Beijing, the Kremlin announced on Saturday.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss ways to further deepen the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Moscow and Beijing.

The two leaders are also expected to exchange views on major international and regional issues and sign a joint declaration following their talks.

During the visit, Putin is scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss economic and trade cooperation.

The announcement came a day after Trump wrapped up the first visit to China by a sitting US president in nearly a decade. Despite the lavish استقبال accorded to the US leader, several key disputes — including trade tensions and the Ukraine-Russia war — remained unresolved.

Although Trump and Xi discussed the more than four-year conflict in Ukraine, as well as the US-Israeli war involving Iran, the American president left China without any apparent breakthrough on either issue.

While Beijing has repeatedly called for negotiations to end the Ukraine war, it has avoided condemning Russia’s military offensive launched in February 2022 and continues to portray itself as neutral. China has also denied supplying Russia with weapons or military components, instead accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by continuing to arm Ukraine.

As the world’s largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, China has emerged as Moscow’s most important economic partner, particularly after Western sanctions targeted Russian oil and gas exports.

US-mediated efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict have meanwhile appeared to stall since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

Moscow has ruled out a ceasefire or broader peace talks unless Kyiv agrees to the Kremlin’s sweeping demands.