Russian President Vladimir Putin landed at Beijing Capital International Airport shortly after 11:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, greeted by a military band, according to footage from state broadcaster CCTV. The visit comes days after Donald Trump's lavish stay in Beijing, the first by a US president in nearly a decade.
Putin and Xi Jinping are expected to discuss how to “further strengthen” the strategic partnership between the two countries and “exchange views on key international and regional issues,” according to a Kremlin statement. Ties have deepened since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Putin has visited Beijing annually since then. Moscow, diplomatically isolated, depends economically on Beijing, which has become the main buyer of sanctioned Russian oil.
Before the trip, the leaders exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday to mark the 30th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership. Xi said cooperation between the countries has “continuously deepened and consolidated,” according to Chinese state media. In a video message released Tuesday, Putin declared that relations have reached “a truly unprecedented level” and that “trade between Russia and China continues to grow.” “Without allying against anyone, we seek peace and universal prosperity,” he added, without mentioning third countries.
During Putin's last visit to Beijing in September 2025, Xi welcomed him as an “old friend,” language he did not use with Trump last week. Putin, who calls Xi a “dear friend,” wants to show the world that the relationship has not been shaken by Trump's visit. Although the same pomp offered to the American is not expected, “the relationship between Xi and Putin does not require that kind of gesture,” said Patricia Kim of the Brookings Institution research center in Washington. For her, both sides consider the ties “structurally stronger and more stable” than those between China and the United States.
Beijing regularly calls for talks to end the war in Ukraine, which has lasted more than four years, but has never condemned Russia for sending troops, presenting itself as neutral. Trump and Xi discussed Ukraine last week, but the American left without progress. “It is almost certain that Xi will inform Putin about his summit with Trump,” Kim assessed. The lack of clear results, however, “probably reassures Moscow to know that Xi did not make any deal with Trump that substantially harmed Russian interests.”
Putin hopes China will deepen its commitment to Moscow, after Trump told Fox News that Beijing agreed to buy American oil. As Russia depends on sales to China to sustain its war effort, “Putin does not want to lose that support,” explained Lyle Morris of the Asia Society. “Putin is likely eager to hear from Xi about China's next step in the Middle East,” Morris added, after “Trump clearly signaled that he expects Beijing to play a leading role.” However, regarding the US and Israel's war against Iran, China and Russia may have different priorities. “China depends on the freedom of the world's major waterways to maintain its economic activities and would prefer the confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz to end as soon as possible,” said James Char of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. On the other hand, Moscow “has benefited economically from the fighting in Iran due to the easing of sanctions on Russian energy supplies, so it may have a different view.”