Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow in the coming months to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Xi’s meeting with Putin will be part of efforts for multilateral peace talks as Beijing says it wants to play a more active role in ending the war against Ukraine, sources told the WSJ.

The visit is also likely to allow China to reiterate its calls not to use nuclear weapons.

According to people familiar with Xi Jinping’s plans, preparations for the visit are at an early stage, and its date has not yet been determined, Kyiv Independent quotes.

Xi may visit Russia in April or early May, when Russia will celebrate victory in World War II, sources told the WSJ.

Meanwhile, China’s chief diplomat Wang Yi arrived in Moscow on February 21 and will meet with the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and other officials, TASS reports.

The first visit by a high-ranking Chinese official to Russia since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place shortly after US President Joe Biden’s surprise trip to Kyiv on February 20.

At the Munich Security Conference on February 18, Wang said China would launch its peace initiative on the anniversary of Russia’s all-out war, which broke out on February 24, The Guardian reported.

Western officials expressed skepticism about Beijing’s announced peace plan.

According to several reports, officials in Washington are concerned that China may consider providing Moscow with “lethal support,” such as weapons.

Earlier, on February 4, the Wall Street Journal reported that China provided the Russian military with military equipment despite the sanctions imposed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.