Informal meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping ends after 4.5 hours

Russian TASS news agency reports that the informal talks lasted 4.5 hours and ended around 8:00 pm Kyiv time. After that, the Chinese leader left the Kremlin.

On March 21, the official part of the meeting between the Russian president and the Chinese leader is expected to take place.

Earlier, Russian media reported on a meeting between the Russian and Chinese leaders in the Kremlin. According to their information, at the beginning of the meeting, Putin congratulated Xi Jinping on his re-election as China's leader.

In addition, Putin said he was ready to discuss a Chinese plan to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war.

• Earlier, the Financial Times reported that after his meeting with Putin, Xi Jinping plans to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

• Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it is following Xi Jinping's visit to Russia and expects Beijing to use its influence on the occupying forces to end the war.

• The White House said that the United States is also closely monitoring Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow and urged the Chinese leader to have a conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.