« Steel friendship » between Russia and China

Chinese President Xi Jinping, visiting Moscow for the events that mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that their countries should be ‘steel friends’, the two leaders committing to raise cooperation to a new level and counteract the united state.

In a long common statement after the discussions held in Kremlin, Putin and XI declares that they will deepen the relationships in all areas, including the military, and will ‘strengthen the coordination to counteract the Washington policy of « double-duty » of Russia and China.

The two countries have stated that the conflict in Ukraine can only be resolved by removing its « deep causes. »

XI is the most powerful of the more than two dozen foreign leaders visiting Moscow this week to mark 80 years since the victory over Nazi Germany, a celebration with a huge significance for Putin.

The participation of XI – and the common statement that aligns China in Russia’s point of view on the conflict in Ukraine – gives Putin an important support in the context in which Russia is pressed by the US to end the war.

Russia states that it wants to repair relationships with Washington, who have descended to the lowest level after the Cold War due to the conflict in Ukraine, and see the potential for profitable business agreements. But the discussions did not lead to a cessation of fire, and Trump threatened to withdraw in the absence of clear progress.

XI, whose country is currently involved by the tariff war launched by Trump, said that Russia and China should solidify the foundations of their cooperation and eliminate external interference.

The two countries should be « true steel friends who have gone through a thousand fire tests, » he told Putin.

In another implicit reference to the United States, Xi said that Russia and China will work together to counteract ‘unilateralism and bullying’.

XI and Putin met dozens of times and signed a strategic partnership ‘without limits’ in February 2022.

China is Russia’s biggest trading partner and has offered Moscow an economic rescue collage that helped her to cope with Western sanctions.

Putin said that the two leaders will personally supervise all the key elements of bilateral relationships, aimed at a substantial increase in trade and investments by 2030.

In the first remarks after meeting XI in one of the most opulent Kremlin rooms, Putin thanks to the Chinese leader for his visit to Moscow for marking 80 years since the ‘sacred’ victory, in a war in which the Soviet Union lost 27 million people.

« Victory over fascism, obtained with the cost of immense sacrifices, has a sustainable significance, » Putin said.

« Together with our Chinese friends, we are firmly in defending the historical truth, protecting the memory of the events of war and combating modern manifestations of neonazism and militarism, » he added.