Kremlin spokesperson: Putin to visit China late May

Western governments on Monday condemned Putin's re-election as unfair and undemocratic, but China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran leader on extending his rule by a further six years, highlighting geopolitical fault lines that have widened since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A source that spoke to Reuters confirmed that "Putin will visit China." The details were independently confirmed by four other sources, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another one of the sources said Putin's trip to China would probably take place in the second half of May.

Two of the sources said the Putin visit would come before Xi's planned trip to Europe.

The Kremlin, when asked about the Reuters report, said information on Putin's visits would be released closer to the date.

"Several presidential visits and several high-level contacts are being prepared at the moment," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "We will inform you as we get closer."

China's foreign ministry did not make a comment.

China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.