INTERNATIONAL: Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov says the situation in international affairs, especially on the European continent, is very tense right now and requires discussion between allies, Moscow and Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss tensions in Europe and "aggressive" U.S. and NATO rhetoric during a video call on Wednesday, the Kremlin has said on Tuesday.

The conversation will take place at a moment of high tension in both countries' relations with the West, with Beijing under pressure over human rights and Moscow over its build-up of troops near the border with Ukraine.

Russia has cultivated closer ties with China as its relations with the West have worsened, and Putin has used the partnership as a way of balancing U.S. influence while striking lucrative deals, especially on energy. He and Xi this year have agreed to extend a 20-year friendship and cooperation treaty.

Peskov has also mentioned that the two leaders would hold a long conversation with a broad agenda including energy, trade and investment.

Their conversation is transpiring eight days after a Russia-U.S. video call in which U.S. President Joe Biden has warned Putin against invading Ukraine and Putin told him Russia needed legally binding security guarantees from the West.