MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a political leader who enjoys popularity abroad but places the highest value on assessments of his performance in office by his fellow Russian citizens, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

When asked to comment on the international assessment of Putin’s visit to China, the Kremlin official said: "He has just arrived, so I don’t think that he has had the time to acquaint himself with the latest polling results. Indeed, there are a lot of observers worldwide who duly acknowledge Putin’s political authority. And, indeed, this is a political leader who is popular worldwide. There are others who, on the contrary, see it as their mission to engage in a battle against Putin. It takes all kinds," Peskov pointed out.

That said, he emphasized: "To Putin, the attitude of people within the country, not abroad, is what matters most of all." The Kremlin press secretary added that the president takes a philosophical view toward various international assessments of his activity.

This week, Putin visited China, where he attended the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and several other leaders from the Asia-Pacific region and Central Asia, as well as with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.