The meeting

Xi welcomes Putin: 'Unwavering loyalty between us'. Ft: "EU assesses Draghi or Merkel as mediators with Moscow"

The Russian president was welcomed with full honours and a red carpet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

20 May 2026

Il presidente russo Vladimir Putin (a destra) e il presidente cinese Xi Jinping (a sinistra) partecipano a una cerimonia di benvenuto presso la Grande Sala del Popolo a Pechino, in Cina, il 20 maggio 2026. EPA/Maxim Shemetov / POOL EPA

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Putin was welcomed with a red carpet. The military band played the anthems of both countries and a line-up of several children celebrated him with Russian and Chinese flags and flowers.

"It is thanks to the unwavering loyalty and courage shown in difficult times that China and Russia have managed to reach such a high level in their relations," Chinese President Xi Jinping was quoted by Tass as saying during the opening speech of the bilateral dialogue between Russia and China in Beijing. Russia-China relations have reached "an unprecedented level" and represent "a model of genuine partnership and strategic interaction", Putin stressed during the meeting with his Chinese counterpart. Putin also described foreign policy cooperation between Moscow and Beijing as "one of the main stabilising factors on the international scene".

The two leaders: "No to the Golden Dome USA"

Russian President Vladimir Putin then invited Xi to visit Russia next year. "Of course, dear friend, we invite you to visit the Russian Federation," the Russian leader said during the meeting. "Against the backdrop of the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain the role of a reliable supplier of resources, while China that of a responsible consumer of those resources," Putin said.

The two leaders agreed on one thing: China and Russia consider the US plans for the Golden Dome, the global missile defence system, which also includes intercepting launchers in space, to be a 'threat to strategic stability'. "Such plans completely negate the key principle of maintaining strategic stability, which requires the inseparable interconnection of strategic offensive and defensive weapons," reads a joint statement at the end of the summit in Beijing between Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. The US project 'significantly increases the risk of conflicts in space', the statement further reads.

Agreements on energy in the centre of the vertex

In another passage of his speech, Putin confirmed to the Beijing authorities that Russia remains a reliable supplier of energy resources for China. "The driving force of economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese interaction in the energy sector. In the midst of the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to play its role as a reliable supplier of resources, and China its role as a responsible consumer of those resources,' Putin said, quoted by Russian news agencies.

On the sidelines of the face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, Russia and China reached an agreement on an 'important' issue in the energy sector. This was said by Kremlin adviser Yury Ushakov. "We discussed many, many different issues. This includes a promising project in the energy sector. And also interesting projects in other areas," Ushakov told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin. The Kremlin adviser added that the two sides had agreed on "something important" in the energy field, without giving further details.

Xi: "New phase" of relations between China and Russia

During the summit with Putin, Xi, for his part, mentioned that relations between China and Russia are entering "a new phase" characterised by "greater achievements and faster development". According to Xinhua news agency reports, Xi called on the two countries to work "to make the global governance system more just and reasonable" in the face of the "re-emergence of unilateralism and hegemonism". "Unilateralism and hegemonism are re-emerging, yet peace, development and cooperation remain the aspiration of peoples and the prevailing trend of our times," Xi said. "As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and important countries in the world, China and Russia should take a long-term strategic perspective, promote the development and revitalisation of each other's countries through higher-quality global strategic coordination, and work to make the global governance system more just and reasonable.

The EU evaluates Draghi or Mekel as intermediaries with Russia

Meanwhile, the EU considers the possibility of Angela Merkel or Mario Draghi as intermediaries with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Financial Times writes this. Consensus is growing, the business daily writes, for Europe to appoint its own representative, while the US-led talks on Ukraine stall. According to the same sources, EU foreign ministers will discuss potential negotiators with Russia at a meeting in Cyprus next week.

Kremlin: 'We will continue the military operation in Ukraine until we win'

'In the face of the belligerent statements' of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 'we must continue the special military operation until our goals are achieved'. This was stated today from Beijing by Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is engaged in talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. This was reported by Tass.