On May 14, all 16 ministers of the new Russian government were approved. At this point, the new Russian leadership with Putin as the core has been basically established. With the exception of a few changes in positions such as defense ministers, most of the top leaders in key positions have been retained. After arranging "family affairs," China and Russia immediately officially announced the time of Putin's visit to China.
Shoigu
According to Xinhua News Agency, Chinese and Russian officials announced almost simultaneously that Putin will pay a state visit to China from May 16 to 17. Although it has only been about half a year since Putin's last visit to China, this visit is completely different in terms of both the nature and the importance of this visit. Last time, Putin was invited to attend an important event hosted by the Chinese side, and this is the highest-level state visit, when there will be not only a red carpet greeting, but also a review of the honor guard and other high-level welcome ceremonies.
In addition, Putin will start a new term of office, and how to set the tone for the development of Sino-Russian relations in the next six years and do a good job in strategic guidance will also require close communication between the Chinese and Russian heads of state. According to Russian media reports, Putin's visit to China this time also includes core officials of the new Russian government. It can be seen from this that this meeting is of vital strategic significance for the development of Sino-Russian relations in the future.
Putin
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, Putin mentioned in advance what topics were specifically discussed in the talks between China and Russia, and gave the Russian side's expectations. First, there are bilateral issues. In an exclusive interview, Putin said that contemporary Sino-Russian relations are independent of the ideological and political situation, and that bilateral friendly relations are based on mutual trust, widely shared interests, and public support. The mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia in the economic, trade, and people-to-people fields has promoted the prosperity and development of the two countries. Close coordination in foreign policy has promoted the establishment of a multipolar world order.
It is not difficult to see from Putin's statement that the secret of the good development of Sino-Russian relations lies in the fact that each other's strategic understanding of the other side is clear and correct. Only on this basis can cooperation between China and Russia be smooth and mutual trust can be established. Therefore, it can be expected that in the future, China and Russia will continue to maintain the momentum of development in the economic, trade, cultural, and other fields.
Sino-Russian relations
The second is regional affairs, of which the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has attracted the most attention. As a party concerned, Russia has always highly appreciated China's position. In an exclusive interview this time, Putin made it clear that Russia hopes to resolve this conflict through peaceful means in a sustainable and just manner. In addition, Putin revealed the details of the peace talks in 2022. At that time, the representatives of Russia and Ukraine drafted the peace agreement, and the representatives of the Ukrainian side also initialed the main articles. Western partners had asked Russian troops to withdraw from Kyiv to create conditions for the final signing of the agreement, and the Russian side did so, but the Ukrainian side reversed itself and completely terminated the negotiations.
For more than two years, peace talks were never restarted. Now it seems that although Putin has stated that he is open to peace talks, he no longer expects too much from the Kiev authorities and the United States and the West, but has begun to establish a sufficient buffer zone through practical actions, and is ready for a protracted war with the Ukrainian army and NATO. In addition to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China and Russia will also exchange views on the situation in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Northeast Asia.
Russia-Ukraine conflict
Then there is the BRICS summit. For Russia, this is the most important home diplomatic event of the year, and which countries can be invited to participate and what results can be achieved in the talks will play a crucial role in breaking the diplomatic blockade of the West. China, as the core founding country, is naturally the most important invitation for Russia. Russian presidential aide Ushakov said a few days ago that Putin has personally extended an invitation to the Chinese side and has obtained the initial consent of the Chinese side. Close coordination with the Chinese side is key to ensuring the smooth holding of the summit and the achievement of results.
Generally speaking, there is sufficient political mutual trust and a positive atmosphere for dialogue, and Putin's visit to China will certainly promote the further development of Sino-Russian relations.