Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a trip to China in May, he said on Thursday, though he did not specify exactly when.
"I have planned a visit in May," he told the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (RSPP).
The ceremonies to inaugurate his fifth term as president are planned for May 7, so the trip could be his first one abroad in his latest term.
China is considered Russia's most important ally in the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in 2022. Outwardly, Beijing takes a neutral stance on the war but has not condemned Moscow, despite urging from Western countries backing Ukraine.
Beijing has also not imposed any sanctions on Russia and economic relations between the two have expanded significantly since the war began.
Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Moscow for several days in March 2023.
Russian politicians, most recently Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have repeatedly praised China as a partner in the fight against the West.
Meanwhile Western politicians are still trying to persuade China to exert more influence on the Russian leadership and call on Moscow to end the war.
