The Russian leader invited his Chinese counterpart to Moscow in late December

 
Western leaders are holding their breath as Chinese President Xi Jinping makes his way to Russia for high-level talks with Vladimir Putin.

Putin invited Xi to visit during a call in late December.

The Kremlin says the leaders will discuss “deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation”, with Moscow’s ongoing invasion expected to dominate discussions.

China is Russia’s biggest buyer of oil – and trade between the two countries has increased substantially since the war began.

The visit comes as China offers to broker peace in Ukraine.

But Western leaders are sceptical given Beijing’s diplomatic support for Russia.

In the U.S., top Biden spokesperson John Kirby says there are currently no plans for the U.S. president to speak with his Chinese counterpart.

“The President wants to keep the lines of communications open with China,” Kirby declared.

“He (Joe Biden) wants to set up a meeting with President Xi and I suspect that will happen in due course.

“It is important that these two countries keep the line of communication open, especially when tensions are high,” Kirby said.