Putin, Xi Plan to Discuss 'Aggressive Rhetoric' From US, NATO During Wednesday Talks

The negotiations between the Russian and Chinese presidents come amid Western media reports that Russia has been building up military forces near its border with Ukraine to stage "an invasion", allegations Moscow vehemently rejects.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will hold online talks on Wednesday to discuss a range of pressing international issues, among other topics, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

"The situation in international affairs, especially on the European continent, is very tense, and it should, of course, be discussed by the allies, [namely] Moscow and Beijing. We see very aggressive rhetoric emanating both from NATO and the US, something that we should also discuss with the Chinese side", Peskov told reporters.

He added that Wednesday's virtual negotiations would also see the two presidents exchange views on regional issues and full-fledged China-Russia collaboration.

When asked whether the presidents would deal with gas supplies to China and new bilateral contracts, Peskov said that the "energy dialogue will definitely be on the agenda".

The Kremlin spokesman stressed that Putin and Xi will discuss issues related to the development of high technologies, as well as joint investments and trade.

The talks come after the Kremlin last month accused Bloomberg and other US media outlets of being involved in a "targeted information campaign" in the wake of the outlet's report that the US had shared intel with its NATO allies that included a map outlining an alleged "buildup" of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border in purported preparation for "an invasion".

Russia has repeatedly rejected the "invasion" allegations by the US and its Western allies, stressing that NATO's military activity near Russia's borders poses a threat to the country's security and that Moscow reserves the right to deploy troops on its own territory.