Putin praises 'unprecedented' close ties with China amid tensions with West

Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed his country's close ties with China, in a meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

The two leaders met on Friday in the Chinese capital as their countries seek to deepen relations amid growing tensions with the West over the Ukraine crisis.

Moscow's ties with Beijing are "developing progressively along the path of friendship and strategic partnership", Putin said in televised remarks at the start of their meeting.

"They are of a truly unprecedented nature," the Russian leader said, describing relations as an "example of a dignified relationship".

He said ahead of the meeting that Moscow had prepared a new contract for the supply of 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas to China from Russia's Far East.

In the days leading up to the trip, a Kremlin aide said the two leaders also would sign a document that reflected their "common views" on security and other issues.

Later in the day, Putin will take part in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

READ MORE: Kremlin: China will back Russia on security concerns over Ukraine

Convergence on Ukraine

Both sides said they coordinated their positions on Ukraine during a meeting on Thursday between both countries' foreign ministers in Beijing.

China expressed "understanding and support" for Russia's position on security regarding Moscow's relationship with the United States and NATO, the statement said.

China called on the United States to respect Russia's "reasonable security concerns" over Ukraine.

Spiralling tensions with the West have bolstered ties between the world's largest nation and its most populous, and Putin was the first foreign leader to confirm his presence at Friday's opening ceremony.

Moscow is looking for support after its deployment of 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine prompted Western nations to warn of an invasion and threaten "severe consequences" in response to any Russian attack.

Two photos released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry showed both men doing elbow bumps while masked. Before Lavrov, Beijing has not received foreign political guests for almost two years as it tries to keep the country's capital free of Covid-19.

He is now readying to meet more than 20 leaders as Beijing kicks off a Winter Olympics it hopes will be a soft-power triumph and shift focus away from a build-up blighted by a diplomatic boycott and Covid fears.

READ MORE: How China is approaching the Ukraine crisis