Moscow: The Kremlin announced on Wednesday that there are currently no plans for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in China. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there are "no such plans at the moment" when asked about the possibility of a meeting during their respective visits to China next month.

According to Anadolu Agency, preparations are underway for President Putin's visit to China, with Peskov noting that "high-level contacts" are being made. The timing of these contacts is expected to be announced to the media in due course. Peskov's comments followed remarks from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who confirmed to Russian media, including state news agency Tass, that Putin would visit China in the first half of the year.

Russian daily Vedomosti, citing two unnamed sources, reported that Putin's visit is likely to occur in the second half of May, with preliminary discussions for the week of May 18. Putin's previous visit to China was in September last year for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Separately, the White House announced last month that President Trump will travel to Beijing on May 14 and 15 for a high-level summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The last meeting between Putin and Trump took place during a summit in Alaska last August.