Moscow: Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, intends to travel to China in October, a top Kremlin official said on Tuesday.
Putin's foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that the trip would be planned to coincide with a "One Belt, One Road" forum in China. Infrastructure projects are part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, which links Asia with Europe and Africa.
Ushakov stated that Putin also intends to visit Turkey at some point in order to keep a promise made to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, though the exact dates of that trip have not yet been determined.
Also Read: In northwest Pakistan, a suicide bomber at a mosque killed a police officer
In addition, he added, Putin was invited by the Kremlin to attend the September Group of 20 summit in India. The possibility of Putin being present in person has not been discounted, but Ushakov stated that it is still "unclear" how he will participate.
Putin's travel plans were made public days after South African officials claimed he had decided to forego attending an economic summit in that nation next month due to an arrest warrant the International Criminal Court had issued for him. Putin has been charged by the ICC with taking personal responsibility for the kidnappings of Ukrainian children.
Also Read: Beachside Tragedy: 100 Pilot Whales Stranded in Australia, Half Lost to the Waves
As a party to the agreement that created the international tribunal, South Africa would either be forced to arrest the Russian president if he entered its territory or be forced to abdicate its responsibilities.
Being conspicuously absent from the summit could be embarrassing for Putin, who is now anticipated to be the only head of state from among the BRICS group of developing economies to do so. Moscow has denied the validity of the warrant and denied the ICC's jurisdiction.
Putin can travel there more easily because China, Turkey, and India have not ratified the Rome Statute.
Putin's trip to China in October would take place seven months after Chinese President Xi Jinping's three-day visit to Moscow. On the fringes of a regional summit in Uzbekistan in September 2022, the two also had a face-to-face encounter. Weeks before he sent troops into Ukraine, Putin and Xi had a meeting while both were present at the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Also Read: Typhoon Doksuri lashes the Philippines, leaving thousands without power
While refusing to criticise Moscow's actions and announcing last year that it had a "no-limits" friendship with Russia, China has attempted to portray itself as neutral in the Ukraine conflict. Beijing has criticised Western sanctions imposed on Moscow and charged NATO and the US with inciting Putin to use force.