Putin hails China's 'genuine desire' to help resolve Ukraine war

A large video screen shows China's President Xi Jinping (R) shaking hands with Russia's President Vladimir Putin before a meeting with head of state members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at the SCO Summit in Qingdao, China's Shandong province, on June 10, 2018. [AFP]

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Beijing's "genuine desire" to help resolve the Ukraine crisis, in an interview with Chinese state media published Wednesday ahead of a two-day visit to the country.

Putin arrives in Beijing on Thursday to meet his "dear friend" Xi Jinping, seeking to win greater support from China for his war effort in Ukraine and isolated economy.