Putin and Xi praise relations between their countries amid Russia's struggle in the war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping hailed the depth of ties between their countries in talks on Friday, despite signs of Beijing's impatience with the heavy political and economic impact of Russia's struggle in its war in Ukraine.

Putin invited Xi to visit Moscow next year.

"I have no doubt that we will find an opportunity to meet you in person. We are waiting for you, dear Mr. President, dear friend. We are waiting for you next spring with a state visit to Moscow," Putin said during a video conversation with Xi, according to the Russian news agency "Sputnik".

Putin added that this visit will show the world the strength of Russia-China relations on major issues, and will become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations.

During the video chat, Putin and Xi discussed bilateral relations and regional crises, including those near the Russian and Chinese borders.

The Russian president stated that Russia-China relations are "the best in history" and that their strategic partnership serves as a "stabilizing factor" amid rising geopolitical tensions.

He added that Russia will seek to enhance military cooperation with China.

Their video conversation at the end of this year, the first since Putin and Xi met in person in Uzbekistan last September, underscores Moscow's growing dependence on Beijing, according to Bloomberg News.

Putin called Xi a "dear friend" during the televised portion of the meeting, and the Chinese president responded with the same phrase.

For his part, Xi expressed his thanks to Putin for the congratulatory message sent by the latter, after the ruling Communist Party of China announced last October that Xi won a third term in power.

Xi said China is ready to expand the "strategic partnership".

The two countries kicked off the year with a joint declaration of a "borderless" partnership at a summit in February, on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics, as they both sought to challenge US influence and push for a multipolar world.

Beijing has refused to publicly condemn the war, accusing the United States instead of provoking Russia by pressing for NATO expansion.

"Amid unprecedented pressure and provocations from the West, we stand up for our fundamental views," Putin told Xi.

Chinese television later reported that Xi had told Putin that Beijing would continue to play a constructive role in seeking to resolve the Ukraine "crisis", but that the road to peace talks would not be smooth.

Beijing has so far refrained from providing material support for Moscow's war effort, mindful of the risk of secondary sanctions and signaling that the crisis should be resolved through dialogue.

But with little sign of an end to the conflict in Ukraine, Xi has taken steps to distance himself from his Russian counterpart, and China signed a statement during the Group of 20 summit last month on the Indonesian island of Bali, saying that "most of the members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine".

The summit between Xi and US President Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the G-20 meetings, also helped ease tensions between the world's two largest powers, as the two leaders jointly rebuked the Kremlin for an ill-conceived statement about a nuclear war against Ukraine.

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