In his first trip to Russia since Putin's devastating invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, Chinese leader Xi Jinping will fly to Moscow next week to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

In Western capitals, where leaders have grown increasingly wary of the two nations' deepening partnership as war rages in Europe, the visit will be seen as a powerful demonstration of Beijing's support for Moscow.

In addition, it will be Xi's first trip outside of China since winning an unprecedented third term at the annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp legislature last week.

Beijing and the Kremlin issued statements on Friday that made the face-to-face encounter clear.

The visit will take place from Monday to Wednesday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, at Putin's invitation, and the war in Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion.

Spokesman for the foreign ministry Wang Wenbin stated, "China's proposition boils down to one sentence, which is to urge peace and promote talks."

The two heads of state will talk about "topical issues of further development of comprehensive partnership relations and strategic cooperation between Russia and China," according to the Kremlin.

The Kremlin went on to say that "an exchange of views is also planned in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena." There will be a signing of several important bilateral documents.

The agenda for the upcoming meetings between Xi and Putin was also made public by the Kremlin. A one-on-one meeting between the two leaders will take place on Monday, followed by an "informal lunch," with negotiations scheduled for Tuesday, according to Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin.

Additionally, the Russian president's adviser on international relations, Yuri Ushakov, stated that Putin and Xi intend to discuss the war in Ukraine and sign documents confirming their closer ties.

Ushakov stated to the Russian state media outlet TASS, "Moscow greatly appreciates the balanced position of the Chinese leadership."

“Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow will give them a new impetus. The visit comes as China tries to present itself as a neutral peace broker on Ukraine, including the recent release of a position paper calling for a political settlement to the crisis. Russia and China are satisfied with the highest level of relations that continue to develop.

Qin Gang, the new Chinese foreign minister, called Dmytro Kuleba, his Ukrainian counterpart, on Thursday to request peace talks. Kuleba wrote on Twitter that the two of them talked about "the significance of the principle of territorial integrity."

However, Western leaders have expressed skepticism regarding the mediator's claim, citing China's reluctance to acknowledge the nature of the conflict and its expanding ties to Russia.

Since the invasion, Xi has spoken with Putin multiple times, both online and in person, but he has not called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

During Putin's February visit to Beijing for the Winter Olympics' opening ceremony, Xi and Putin declared a "no-limits" friendship.

China has also refused to condemn Russia's invasion under Xi, instead blaming NATO for escalating the conflict and spreading Kremlin misinformation.

It has also offered Moscow diplomatic support, increased trade, and held frequent joint military exercises to improve economic and military ties.

Just a few days before the anniversary of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin hosted China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Moscow last month.

Wang pledged to "further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership," and Putin told Wang that relations between his country and China were "reaching new milestones."

Both leaders have a deep resentment and suspicion for the United States, which they believe is intent on stifling China and Russia. They also share a vision for a new world order that is less dominated by the West and better serves the interests of their respective nations.

In addition, they have developed a personal bond, with Xi referring to Putin as a "best friend" in 2019. Since becoming China's leader, Xi has met Putin in person 39 times, the most recent time being in September at a summit in central Asia.

US officials are not concerned that Chinese weapons would assist Russia in securing a decisive victory in Ukraine. Instead, the concern is that Beijing's potentially lethal assistance could prolong the conflict, which would favor Putin, according to US officials.