Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow for meeting with Vladimir Putin

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit that offers a strong political boost for Russian President Vladimir Putin as fighting in Ukraine grinds on.

China and Russia have described Mr Xi’s trip as part of efforts to further deepen their “no-limits friendship”.

The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan for Ukraine and said it would be discussed in talks between Mr Putin and Mr Xi that will begin over dinner on Monday.

Beijing has called for a ceasefire but Washington strongly rejected the idea as the effective ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains.

Mr Xi’s trip to Russia comes after the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued a warrant for Mr Putin’s arrest on war crimes charges.

The Kremlin, which does not recognise the authority of the ICC, has rejected its move as “legally null and void”.

China’s foreign ministry on Monday called on the ICC to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicisation and double standards”.

China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy and as a partner in opposing what both see as American domination of global affairs.