Putin arrives in China seeking greater support for war effort

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China on Thursday to meet with counterpart Xi Jinping seeking greater support from Beijing for his war effort in Ukraine and his isolated economy.This is Putin’s first trip abroad since his March re-election and the second in just over six months to China, an economic lifeline for Russia after the West hit it with unprecedented sanctions over its military offensive in Ukraine.Putin was greeted by Chinese officials and an honour guard as he got off his plane at around dawn for the two-day state visit, Russian television footage showed.The Russian leader’s arrival came hours…