Xi to visit Putin in coming months - report

Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit Russia's President Vladimir Putin for a summit in the coming months, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Citing sources familiar with Xi's plans, the paper says Chinese premier will urge his counterpart to renew his efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, reports BBC.

Dates of the summit are yet to be finalised, the WSJ notes and there has been no independent confirmation of the report. Neither side has commented.

China has attempted to walk a diplomatic tightrope over the conflict in Ukraine, stopping short of explicitly calling out Russia, which is an important trading partner. It's denied planning to supply its ally with weapons.

On Saturday, Beijing's top diplomat said his country had "neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire" in the war - and had instead continued to call for peaceful solutions.