War in Ukraine: Putin wants to strengthen Russian-Chinese military cooperation

During a videoconference meeting on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wants to strengthen military cooperation with China with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “In the face of unprecedented pressure and provocations from the West, we are defending our principled positions,” the owner of the Kremlin welcomed. According to him, “coordination between Moscow and Beijing in the international arena (…) serves to create a fair world order based on international law.” “A special place in Russian-Chinese cooperation is occupied by military-technical cooperation, which contributes to ensuring the security of our countries and maintaining stability in key regions,” he stressed.

Facing heavy Western sanctions over its offensive against Ukraine, Russia has in recent months sought to strengthen its ties with Asia, in particular China, which has nevertheless refrained from backing a Russian attack on its neighbor.

Chinese President in Moscow in spring

The Chinese President said that “in the face of a complex and far from simple international situation,” Beijing is ready to “increase strategic cooperation with Russia, provide each other with development opportunities, and be global partners for the benefit of the peoples of our country.” countries and in the interest of world stability,” but he did not explicitly mention military cooperation.

So far, Beijing has not delivered any weapons to Russia, although there have been several joint military exercises in recent months, including a naval exercise this week in the East China Sea.

Vladimir Putin announced on Friday that his counterpart will come to Russia in the “spring” of 2023 for a “state visit” that will be the first since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

VIDEO. Putin wants closer military cooperation with China

Russia is also trying to increase gas supplies to the economy of China, a major consumer of hydrocarbons, especially since the Europeans are determined to get rid of their energy dependence on Russia.