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Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow on 4-day visit, attend V-Day celebrations
This will be his 11th visit to Russia since 2013, Russian news agency TASS reported.
According to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, in a tete-a-tete over tea on Thursday, Putin and Xi are scheduled to discuss sensitive international issues such as Russia's relations with the United States, including Ukraine, before joining their delegations.
Xi is accompanied by Foreign Minister Wang Yi who earlier today had a telephonic conversation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on India's Operation Sindoor.
India launched Operation Sindoor early Wednesday hitting nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab in retaliation for the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people.
There are also speculations here that at their meeting over tea, Putin and Xi would discuss the India-Pakistan escalation after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Experts here say in the changed world, China will not throw its military might behind its all-weather friend Islamabad as India is its major trade partner.
Earlier, on Tuesday local Izvestia daily quoting experts wrote that Russia could be a mediator between New Delhi and Islamabad, but both should be approached through back channels.
Fresh developments in relations between India-Pakistan in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor by New Delhi can be expected to be prominently discussed by the two leaders.
They note that New Delhi can heed Moscow's advice but Islamabad would have to be approached through Beijing.
Tomorrow after their Kremlin talks Putin and Xi are scheduled to issue a joint statement and speak to the press, which probably would reflect their action plan to de-escalate the India-Pakistan conflict sparked by the brutal Pahalgam terror strike.
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