Beijing has been investing heavily in European infrastructure, driven by its Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to enhance global trade routes.

Meanwhile, NATO countries are contemplating the ways they can take back Chinese-owned infrastructure projects in Europe if the Ukrainian conflict were to expand, CNN reports citing US officials.

President Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko admire the views of Valaam Island in Russia’s northwest Republic of Karelia, where one of the most important Orthodox temples is situated.