Putin says he is "looking forward" to meeting Xi during a meeting with the head of Chinese diplomacy

MADRID, 22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has assured this Wednesday that he is "looking forward to" meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a meeting in Moscow with the main person in charge of Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi, in the midst of an increase in tension over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Of course, we are waiting for Xi's visit to Russia, we have already agreed on it previously," he said before stating that "he understands that there is an agenda at the national level." "We will give a boost to the development of our bilateral relations," she asserted, according to information from the Interfax news agency.

His words come a day after it came to light that Xi plans to visit Russia to meet Putin in the coming months, possibly in April or May. Wang, for his part, has also met with the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, and the Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.

"My dear friend, I am prepared to exchange opinions on matters of mutual interest and seek new agreements," Wang asserted during his meeting with Lavrov, before signing that thanks to the "strategic" direction of the presidents of both countries "it has been given a propitious moment for development".

Thus, he has stated that "despite the volatility of the situation at the international level, China and Russia will always maintain their determination and move forward firmly and with confidence", as indicated in a statement.

Lavrov has highlighted the relations between the parties "despite the problems at the international level." "We are showing solidarity and preparation to defend our interests," he pointed out.

He also stressed that Russia and China "continue coordinating foreign policy issues to achieve a fairer, more open and democratic system." "The majority of countries are interested in this", he has qualified her.