Russian President Vladimir Putin met with China’s defense minister on Sunday, stressing Beijing’s strong engagement with Moscow, with which it has largely sought to align its foreign policy. reduce impact of the United States and other Western democracies.
Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with General Li Shangfu less than a month after Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A three-day state visit in Moscow
China has refused to criticize Russia’s military actions Ukraine And blames the US and NATO for provoking Moscow. But China’s foreign minister said last week that China would not arm Russia, as the United States and other Western allies had feared.
Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images
Officially, China remains neutral in the Ukraine conflict. However, Xi’s visit underscored how China is increasingly becoming a senior partner in the relationship as it provides political cover and an economic lifeline to Russia during the Ukraine conflict.
In opening remarks at the meeting, Putin praised the general development of Russia-China relations.
“We are actively working through the military department, regularly exchanging useful information for us, cooperating in the field of military-technical cooperation, conducting joint exercises, in addition, in various theaters: in the Far East and in Europe, and at sea, and on land and in the air,” He said, according to the Kremlin.
Lee said the countries’ relationship “has gone beyond the military-political union of the Cold War era. They are based on the principle of non-alignment and are very stable.”
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