MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Vladimir Putin’s visit to China will bring the energy sector and logistics to the forefront; Donald Trump may either strike Iran again or continue to bluff; and Russia, Belarus kick off joint drills to practice the use of nuclear weapons. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Media: Putin’s China visit to bring energy sector, logistics to forefront
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be traveling to Beijing on May 19-20 for his first foreign trip of 2026. The Russian leader plans to visit China once again in the fall to take part in the APEC summit in Shenzhen, Vedomosti notes.
This time, Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss political cooperation, including the US-Israel conflict with Iran, said Alexey Maslov, director of Moscow State University's Institute of Asian and African Studies. Besides, energy cooperation and the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project will be reviewed again, the expert believes. Russia and China may be interested in developing new infrastructure ties as Beijing has faced significant disruption due to the Strait of Hormuz closure.
The 2001 Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between Russia and China, whose 25th anniversary Putin’s visit highlights, has not changed, Maslov stressed. According to him, the document suits both parties, which have no plans to establish a military alliance. As for the Ukraine conflict, it is certain to be discussed in talks between the Russian and Chinese leaders, the analyst added: Beijing remains in favor of resolving the crisis through talks, and Moscow has reiterated its readiness to do so.
