'Welcome, dear friend': Putin greets China's Xi at Kremlin

BBC Summary

China's President Xi Jinping has sat down for talks with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, kickstarting a highly anticipated two-day visit.

The Russian leader welcomed his "dear friend" to Russia, before saying he had studied Beijing's 12-point peace proposals to end the war in Ukraine.

Xi commended Putin's "strong leadership" and said he was sure the Russian people would re-elect him at Russia's 2024 presidential election.

It is Xi's first visit to Russia since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022 - he's due to have an informal one-to-one with Putin today, and hold formal talks on Tuesday.

The trip is taking place days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin for alleged war crimes.

Western countries have previously warned Beijing against supplying Moscow with weapons.