Putin to meet China's top diplomat in Moscow

"Putin will receive Wang Yi," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 

At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier on Wednesday, Wang said that he looked forward to clinching new agreements during his visit to Moscow. 

"I am ready to exchange views with you, my dear friend, on issues of mutual interest, and I look forward to reaching new agreements," Wang said through an interpreter. 

"No matter how the international situation changes, China has been and remains committed, together with Russia, to make efforts to preserve the positive trend in the development of relations between major powers," Wang said. 

Wang said he would work to "strengthen and deepen" relations between Moscow and Beijing. He provided no specific details on what agreements might be reached during his visit. 

The war in Ukraine began just weeks after Putin and China's President Xi Jinping declared a "no limits" partnership, causing concern in Western countries. 

Xi has stood by Putin since Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine, resisting Western pressure to isolate Moscow. Chinese-Russian trade has soared since the invasion of Ukraine, and Russia has sold Asian powers including China greater volumes of oil.