Putin announces he will travel to China in October at the invitation of President Xi Jinping

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he will travel to China in October at the invitation of his counterpart Xi Jinping. 

"I was pleased to accept the invitation" from Xi Jinping to "visit China in October", Putin said during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to footage broadcast on Russian state television. 

The Kremlin had already announced the Russian president's "intention" to travel to China to participate in the "Belt and Road" forum, which brings together international leaders. 

Russia, sanctioned by Western countries for its offensive in Ukraine, is seeking to strengthen ties with Beijing in the economic, military and energy sectors, among others. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously said Putin would receive Wang Yi and host him at the "Constantine Palace in St Petersburg" in northwest Russia. 

The Chinese minister, who arrived in Russia on Monday, met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and, after that meeting, Russian diplomats said that Beijing and Moscow share "similar" positions on the United States and the conflict in Ukraine. 

Since Xi Jinping's visit to the Kremlin in March and in the face of Russia's growing isolation, hit by a wave of international sanctions in retaliation for its offensive in Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing have advocated strengthening their economic and military cooperation in the framework of a friendship officially described as "without limits". 

In August, the two countries conducted joint naval exercises in the Pacific Ocean. 

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, China is trying to position itself as a neutral country, despite its overt support for the Kremlin.