Russia’s Medvedev meets with China’s Xi as Zelensky visits Washington for talks with Biden

As Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky embarked on a visit to Washington for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, traveled to China for an unannounced meeting with President Xi Jinping.

Medvedev shared a video on his Telegram channel showing him meeting with Xi. According to Reuters, Medvedev and Xi discussed the “no limits” strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing, as well as Russia’s war in Ukraine, though Medvedev did not provide further details.

“The talks were useful,” Medvedev said.

Early on Dec. 21, President Zelensky confirmed his first foreign trip since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in late February this year. The visit comes as the U.S. prepares to send a Patriot surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine — the most advanced air defense weapon in its arsenal that Kyiv has been long pleading for, the White House reported.

The U.S. will provide Ukraine with a Patriot battery, which includes up to eight launchers with 4-16 missiles each, depending on the type of munition used. The system is expected to be part of a new $2 billion military aid package that the U.S. plans to unveil on Dec. 21, the report said.

Following the announcement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “nothing good would come” from Zelensky’s trip to the U.S., as quoted by the Guardian.