Vladimir Putin is expected in China on Thursday

Since his country invaded Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has been sidelined by Western countries. A situation which pushed the Russian president to turn to other allies, such as China. The two countries have strengthened their cooperation in recent years.

So for his first trip abroad since his re-election in March, Vladimir Putin chose China. The Russian president is expected in Beijing on Thursday. This will be his second official trip to the country in nearly seven months.

“During the visit, Presidents Xi and Putin will exchange views on bilateral relations, cooperation in various fields, against the backdrop of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia” said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This visit will be the fourth face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, trade between China and Russia has exploded, reaching 222 billion euros in 2023, according to Chinese customs.

This rapprochement worries the United States and the European Union, who regularly put pressure on Beijing to distance themselves from Moscow.