Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China this week, his first trip outside the country since he was inaugurated May 7 for his fifth term in office.

Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Mr. Putin for May 16-17, signaling a growing rapprochement between Beijing and Moscow. Russia has come to rely on China as it wages a war against Ukraine, now in its third year.

But Mr. Xi sees Russia as an ally as it attempts to fend off growing U.S. interest in expanding its reach into the Indo-Pacific region.

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The Kremlin said Tuesday that the two leaders will have an “extensive discussion” on several issues about the partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China.

“They will outline priorities for further practical cooperation between the two states and have an in-depth exchange of opinions on the most pressing international and regional issues,” Kremlin officials said in a statement.

Following the talks, Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi will sign a joint statement and several bilateral documents. They also will attend an event marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, the Kremlin said.

According to TASS, the Russian state-owned news agency, Mr. Putin and Mr. Beijing have become friends in office. “Even during the pandemic, they continued to talk via video link and the Russian president visited the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022,” TASS said.

Mr. Putin will visit with other Chinese leaders such as Li Qiang, the premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. They will discuss bilateral cooperation in trade, the economy and humanitarian affairs, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Mr. Putin also is scheduled to attend the opening of the latest Russia-China Expo in Harbin, the administrative center of China’s Heilongjiang Province.