Xi to hold talks with Italian President

Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Friday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Mattarella arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a state visit to China from Nov. 7 to 12 at the invitation of President Xi.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi to hold talks with Italian President

Russia claimed on Thursday that its forces had taken control of one more settlement in the Donetsk region, while Ukraine, on the same day, reported repelling multiple Russian attacks on the front lines.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a briefing that Russian troops had seized the village of Kreminna Balka in the Donetsk region.

The ministry also reported that the Russian troops had carried out strikes on Ukrainian military personnel and destroyed Ukrainian armored vehicles and U.S.-supplied M119 howitzers.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported 102 fights on the front lines.

In the Pokrovsk region, Russian forces launched 15 attacks of varying intensities, with Ukrainian forces repelling 13 of them, and in the Kurakhovo region, Ukrainian forces repelled 40 Russian attacks, the Ukrainian side said.

Russia seizes one more settlement in Donetsk, Ukraine repels Russian attacks