Vladimir Putin makes grovelling visit to China as Kremlin warns of 'catastrophic' war with Nato

China is Russia's largest trading partner, but Russia makes up only four per cent of China's international business.

In what marks the first and only foreign trip for an isolated Mr Putin this year, the Russian leader has travelled to Beijing in search of cash to prop up his war in Ukraine.

Without China's support, Russia would likely face a supply-line crisis - up to 90 per cent of its sanctioned technology imports and over half of its total imports come from Chinese suppliers.

The Chinese military band played the Russian, then Chinese national anthems as Mr Putin greeted President Xi for the pair's 40th meeting.

The two held a brief 15 minute talk, where Mr Putin told Mr Xi that Russia remains a "reliable energy supplier" amid rising concerns caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The pair are also set to discuss the Power of Siberia 2, a 1,600-mile gas pipeline which would cut from Russia, through Mongolia, and into China - adding 50 billion cubic metres of gas capacity to Chinese coffers.

Mr Xi called for negotiations to end the Iran war, adding that the situation within the Middle East was now at a "critical juncture".

The Chinese leader had previously introduced a four-point proposal for "maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East" to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi last month.

President Xi went on to say the international order is "complex and volatile, with unilateral hegemony running rampant", adding that Beijing and Moscow must build a "more just and equitable global governance system".

The Russian President invited his Chinese counterpart to Moscow next year and hailed relations which he claimed have helped "global stability".

The pair have also extended the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, an agreement which outlines the relations between Beijing and Moscow - including on military cooperation and defence.

Both Mr Putin and Xi Jinping are set to sign a series of documents in an official ceremony later today.

These include a joint statement on strengthening the comprehensive partnership and a declaration of a new type of international relations.

But as the pair talked peace, Mr Putin's own ministers were issuing war warnings to the West.

A direct clash between Russia and Nato would have "potentially catastrophic consequences", the Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency TASS.

"As a result of this escalation of tensions, including blatantly provocative actions in the nuclear sphere, strategic risks are mounting, as is the danger of a head-on clash between Nato and our country, with all the potentially catastrophic consequences that would entail," he said.

Mr Ryabkov's warning comes as Russia has showed increasing signs it fears Ukrainian attacks.

Moscow held a muted Victory Day Parade two weeks ago - amid fears Ukraine would strike the ceremony.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the reduced display was a sign of weakness, adding that Moscow "fears drones may buzz over Red Square".

Then, Moscow itself was rocked by a wave of deadly Ukrainian drone attacks.

At least four people were killed, including three in the capital region, after Ukraine launched its biggest overnight drone attack on the heart of Russia in more than a year.

Russia's ambassador to the UN claimed yesterday that Moscow had information that Ukraine planned to launch military drones from Latvia and other Baltic states.

Ukraine, meanwhile, blamed Russia for redirecting one of its drones into Estonian airspace where a Nato jet shot it down.