Putin to visit China next week, following Trump's trip
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China next week, just days after US President Donald Trump completed his visit to the Asian nation.
The South China Morning Post reported on Friday that the one-day visit will take place on May 20, citing sources who also said the trip is part of the routine engagement between Moscow and Beijing, with little expectation of a major parade or special welcoming ceremony.
So far, neither Beijing nor Moscow has confirmed the date.
Trump concluded his three-day visit to China on Friday. In the first visit by a US president to China in the last nine years, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss trade, Taiwan, the Middle East conflict, and other issues.
Putin’s visit will be the first time China has hosted the leaders of the two major powers in the same month outside of a multilateral forum.
The last meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping took place on February 4, 2026, via video conference.
Earlier on Thursday (May 14), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin would soon visit China.
“We will announce it soon. The visit is being prepared. It can be said that the preparations are complete, only the finishing touches remain. It will take place in the near future,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of Russia-China contact after the US leader’s visit, Peskov said that the Russian leadership still hopes for communication with Xi regardless of Trump’s visit to Beijing.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on Friday that Beijing and Moscow continue to maintain close communication regarding the preparation for the two presidents’ meeting.
Further details will be announced “in due course,” Guo said.
If Putin’s visit takes place, China will be the first country to host all four leaders of the other permanent member states of the UN Security Council within a few months.
The UN Security Council has five permanent members, namely Russia, the US, the UK, France, and China.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited China in December, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited in January.
Source: Anadolu