BEIJING, May 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to brief his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the situation around Ukraine at an informal meeting this evening.

"We have agreed with President Xi Jinping to discuss in detail the entire foreign policy agenda at an informal meeting this evening. Certainly, I, for my part, will inform Chinese President Xi Jinping about the situation around the Ukrainian crisis," Putin told reporters after the Russian-Chinese talks.

The Russian president pointed out that the program of his state visit to China is quite rich. Today, in particular, Putin will hold a number of joint events with Xi Jinping, as well as meet with Chinese State Council Premier Li Qiang.

Tomorrow, the Russian delegation will travel to Harbin, where it will take part in the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Russia Exp and the 4th Russia-China Forum on Interregional Cooperation. In addition, the Russian delegation will meet with students and teachers of Harbin Institute of Technology.

"Dear colleagues, I would like to sincerely thank [Chinese] President Xi Jinping and all our Chinese colleagues for their hospitality. I am sure that this visit and our negotiations will serve to further strengthen Russian-Chinese friendship and contribute to the well-being and prosperity of our countries and peoples," the Russian president concluded.