Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping review an honour guard contingent during a welcoming ceremony at the Xijiao State Guesthouse ahead of the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit, in Shanghai May 20, 2014. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and China have agreed to launch a $2 billion investment fund targeting agricultural projects in the two countries, a spokeswoman for the Russian Direct Investment Fund said on Friday.

The deal was signed shortly before talks were due to start between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is visiting Moscow for the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.