© Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press Service/TASS

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, March 20th, prepared by TASS

Xi Jinping begins his first official visit to Russia since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Donbass amid reports of an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest, and Russia may avoid the impact of the looming global banking crisis. These stories topped Monday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

Vedomosti: What to expect from Xi Jinping's visit to Russia

Xi Jinping will begin his visit to Russia on March 20, his first foreign trip since being re-elected as president of China. According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the leaders of Russia and China will sign a joint declaration on deepening the partnership between the two countries, as well as a joint statement on a plan to develop key areas of Russian-Chinese economic cooperation until 2030. According to experts interviewed by Vedomosti, the visit is a demonstration of strong ties between Russia and China and could lead to joint statements on the Ukrainian conflict.

All in all, "over ten" documents on various areas of cooperation are expected to be signed during the visit. The parties will also exchange their views on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, including the "12 points" of the so-called Beijing peace plan, which China presented at the end of February.

Xi Jinping's trip has "an important meaning," Yana Leksyutina, professor at St. Petersburg State University, told Vedomosti. "This is a demonstration of the strength of Russian-Chinese relations," the expert believes.

The leaders of Russia and China are expected to discuss political and international issues, including the conflict in Ukraine, head of the HSE School of Oriental Studies Andrey Karneev noted. In addition, the expert does not rule out a joint Putin-Xi statement on the situation in Ukraine. Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at HSE University Vasily Kashin added that there is nothing in China's position on Ukraine that could be considered unacceptable to Russia.

Vedomosti: Putin visits Donbass for first time since start of military operation

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a visit to the Donbass region for the first time since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, arriving from Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula's accession to Russia. According to the Kremlin, Putin visited Mariupol and drove around the city, inspecting at least six sites, including the local airport. Experts told Vedomosti that the trip was meant to signal the deepening of the processes of integrating the new regions into Russia's legal, political, economic and social space.

Political scientist Alexey Makarkin told the newspaper that Putin chose to take the trip now for two reasons. First, it was convenient from a logistical point of view: on Saturday, Putin visited Crimea. Second, the trip took place on the eve of a state visit to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to arrive in the capital on March 20, also to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.

The visit showed that the Russian side is in full control of the situation, political analyst Alexander Nemtsev believes. According to him, the trip's emphasis was on restoring peace, which reflects Russia's confidence in its own forces.

"The true purpose of the trip is to reinforce the processes of integrating the new regions into Russia's legal, political, economic, and social space," political analyst Konstantin Kostin told Vedomosti. "The president demonstrated that the new territories are with Russia for good, and that peaceful life will be restored," he added.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: What does ICC arrest warrant mean for Putin?

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on March 17 for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, alleging their involvement in "crimes of unlawful deportation and unlawful transfer of children" to Russia. Russia’s reaction to the news was negative but calm, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. Russia, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC and has no obligations under it.

The ICC's move is merely strategic, as its arrest warrant has several functions, according to Alexey Fenenko, professor of the Department of International Security at Moscow State University's Faculty of World Politics. It puts pressure on the Russian government - people can be arrested anywhere as "accomplices." It also serves to restrict the movement of the Russian elite. Most importantly, the warrant is supposed to show the vulnerability of the Russian president if he leaves for a visit to another country or if power in Russia changes hands in the future, he added.

Another component of such a strategy is that the US and its allies want to demonstrate that they consider Russian President Vladimir Putin to be on par with "problematic" leaders such as Bashar Assad. The West wants to show that the Russian president is not impervious to its legal system, while Western leaders are not vulnerable to Russia's. This would mean that Russia's status as a vulnerable state is incomparable to their status as countries that can initiate international trials, the expert added.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Russia may not feel full impact of global banking crisis

More than 180 American banks are on the verge of bankruptcy, leaving a trillion-dollar hole in the banking system. The destabilization of the banking system threatens to slow down the global economy, which has already led to a drop in oil prices - and thus Russia's export revenues, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. The Western press likens the current events to what happened before the financial crisis in 2008.

According to the Wall Street Journal, another 186 US banks may follow in the footsteps of Silicon Valley Bank, which filed for bankruptcy last week. And the bankruptcies have already begun: last week, Signature Bank closed, and Silvergate Bank is also in trouble. Moody's has changed the outlook on the US banking system's ratings from stable to negative.

According to Bank of Russia Chairman Elvira Nabiullina, a potential crisis would not have a direct impact on the Russian financial system, but inflationary factors are expected to increase. However, Western experts are already predicting lower global oil prices. The "indirect" losses to the Russian treasury as a result of the first week of the Western banking crisis can already be estimated at close to one trillion rubles.

The partial isolation of the Russian financial system from the West reduces the possibility that the global banking crisis will have a direct impact on Russia, but the indirect impact could be significant, the newspaper writes.

Izvestia: Africa considers Russia major political player

Moscow is hosting the Second International Parliamentary Conference Russia on March 19-20, where representatives from over 40 African countries are to attend. Russia, contrary to Western assertions, does not isolate itself from the rest of the world and actively participates in international affairs, representatives of African parliaments attending the conference told Izvestia.

The Russian State Duma hopes that the conference will strengthen parliamentary cooperation with African countries amid the emerging multipolar world. On the first day of the conference, the participants discussed cooperation in the field of science and education, as well as responses to economic challenges. First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov noted that Russia and African countries should establish an exchange of legislative experience in order to create conditions for building mutually beneficial partnerships.

Member of the Parliament of Uganda Noeline Kisembo told the newspaper that the event shows further cooperation between the parliaments of Uganda and Russia in various areas, primarily in agriculture and technological cooperation.

In turn, Secretary General of the Pan African Youth Union Ahmed Bening noted that Russia remains an important political player, despite the sanctions and pressure from the West.

The event also serves as a precursor for the second Russia-Africa summit, which will take place in St. Petersburg on July 27-28.