China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has arrived in Moscow and will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS, citing the Russian foreign ministry on Tuesday.

This would be the first visit to the country from China’s top diplomat since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Wang, who was named Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s top foreign policy adviser last month, is making the visit during an eight-day international tour.  

Neither Russia nor China has specified whether Wang would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “we do not exclude a meeting” between Wang and Putin. 

China’s Foreign Ministry said the visit to Moscow will provide an opportunity for China and Russia to continue to develop their strategic partnership and “exchange views” on “international and regional hotspot issues of shared interest.”

For context: Though China claimed impartiality in the Ukraine conflict and no advance knowledge of Russia’s intent, it has refused to condemn Moscow and parroted Kremlin lines blaming NATO for provoking the conflict.

And while Beijing’s pro-Russian rhetoric appears to have softened in recent months, its support for Moscow – when measured by its annual trade, diplomatic engagements and schedule of joint military exercises – has bolstered over the past year.

Wang said Saturday at the Munich Security Conference that China is ready to present its peace proposition for Ukraine in a rare remark that referred to the Ukraine conflict as “warfare.” But European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen told CNN on Saturday that “we need more proof that China isn’t working with Russia, and we aren’t seeing that now.” 

Correction: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that the visit is the first of any Chinese official to Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine. It is the first visit of China’s top diplomat since the Russian invasion.