Peskov: Putin's first trip in 2022 will be a visit to Beijing for the opening of the Olympics
Dmitry Peskov. Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina / Reuters
The press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that at the moment only a visit to Beijing for the open Olympic Games is included in the travel schedule of Russian leader Vladimir Putin for 2022. RIA Novosti reports.
Peskov noted that the head of state has not yet planned anything before his visit to China. “This will be the first trip next year,” he stressed. The Kremlin spokesman also said that various international contacts are planned on the territory of Russia.
Earlier, Putin said that the reason for the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing by the United States is the desire to restrain the development of China. According to the head of state, sport should unite peoples, but some countries use it for political purposes. The president also called the Americans' decision a mistake.
On December 6, Washington announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will be held from February 4 to 20, 2022, to protest human rights violations in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR). On December 8, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada joined the boycott.
The Beijing Olympics will be held from 4 to 20 February. Russia will play at the Games in a neutral status due to the sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
