Moscow: The Kremlin said Monday that any contact between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will create new momentum for further expansion of bilateral relations. Speaking at a press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia has 'serious expectations' from Putin's two-day visit to China starting Tuesday. All issues on the economic agenda of Moscow-Beijing relations are expected to be discussed during the visit, he added. 'Relations between Russia and China are very diverse,' he said, with cooperation moving beyond trade and economy to medicine, culture, and education.

According to Anadolu Agency, Peskov also addressed the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Kremlin expects the US to continue its mediation efforts to resolve the conflict. "The peace process is currently on hold. We hope it will eventually resume," he added. Russia only strikes military targets in Ukraine, Peskov claimed, while accusing Kyiv of launching attacks on civilian infrastructure across Russia.

Peskov dismissed claims by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia was preparing to attack Ukraine or a NATO country. Zelenskyy recently accused Russia of attempting to draw Belarus deeper into the war against Ukraine, suggesting that Russia is considering operations from Belarusian territory toward Ukraine's Chernihiv-Kyiv direction or potentially against a NATO member state. Zelenskyy mentioned that additional contacts have occurred between Russian officials and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, aimed at persuading him to join new Russian aggressive operations.