Kremlin says Russian and Chinese leaders will discuss strategic ties and global issues as fighting between Russia and Ukraine continues
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China next week for a two-day meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Kremlin announced on Saturday, in a visit that comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump concluded his own state trip to Beijing.
According to a Kremlin statement, Putin’s visit is scheduled for May 19-20 and coincides with the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship. The talks are expected to focus on bilateral relations, economic cooperation, and “key international and regional issues.”
The announcement came less than 24 hours after Trump completed meetings with Xi in Beijing, where the two leaders discussed trade relations and the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Relations between Moscow and Beijing have strengthened significantly in recent years, particularly after Russia’s full-scale military operation in Ukraine in 2022 triggered sweeping Western sanctions and increased Russia’s economic dependence on China.
During Putin’s previous visit to China in September 2025, Xi described the Russian leader as an “old friend,” while Putin referred to Xi as a “dear friend,” reflecting the increasingly close partnership between the two powers.
Putin is also expected to return to China later this year for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the city of Shenzhen in November.
Fighting Continues in Ukraine Despite Prisoner Exchanges
Meanwhile, fighting between Russia and Ukraine continued despite ongoing prisoner exchanges and humanitarian coordination efforts.
Ukraine announced Saturday that it had repatriated the bodies of 528 fallen soldiers returned by Russia. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said the remains were handed over following an earlier prisoner exchange and would now undergo identification procedures.
The repatriation followed a prisoner swap on Friday in which both sides exchanged 205 prisoners of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the exchange marked the first phase of a broader agreement involving the release of 1,000 prisoners from each side. He noted that some Ukrainian captives had been held by Russia since 2022 and had fought in some of the war’s fiercest battles.
At the same time, Russia and Ukraine continued launching large-scale drone attacks overnight.
Regional authorities in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region said Russian drones struck residential buildings and damaged port infrastructure, injuring two civilians. Regional governor Oleh Kiper said a five-story apartment building and a one-story residential structure were hit during the attack.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 294 drones overnight, adding that 269 were intercepted and destroyed.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down 138 Ukrainian drones across 14 Russian regions, including around Moscow. Russian authorities also reported intercepted drones over the annexed Crimea peninsula and above the Black and Azov seas.
In Russia’s western Belgorod region, local officials said two civilians were killed in separate Ukrainian drone attacks near the border with Ukraine. One man was reportedly killed when a drone struck a vehicle in the village of Krasnaya Yaruga, while another died after his home was hit in Dubovoye. Authorities also said a residential apartment building sustained damage in a separate strike.