China’s President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow next week to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, officials say. The Kremlin said they would discuss a “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation”.

The visit comes as Beijing, an ally of Russia, has offered proposals to end the war in Ukraine, to which the West has given a lukewarm reception. Western countries have warned Beijing against supplying Moscow with weapons.

This will be President Xi’s first visit to Russia since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. He is due to have lunch with Mr. Putin on Monday followed by talks on Tuesday.

A foreign ministry spokeswoman said China would uphold “an objective and fair position” on the war in Ukraine and “play a constructive role in promoting talks for peace”.

The fact that the Chinese leader is coming signals Beijing’s strong support for Moscow. There’s no surprise about that: Putin and Xi share a similar worldview, and both embrace the idea of a multipolar world.

Last year the two men declared their partnership has no limits. That’s not strictly true. Up until now, China has not supplied Russia with lethal aid to help it win the war in Ukraine, though the US claims that China is considering doing so.