Camilla Jessen
As China’s Xi Jinping visits Moscow for Victory Day, he and Vladimir Putin vow to deepen military and diplomatic cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged Wednesday to deepen cooperation between their countries across military and diplomatic spheres.
The leaders made the statements in a joint declaration released during Xi’s visit to Moscow ahead of Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations on Thursday.
According to Reuters, the statement said China and Russia would “strengthen coordination to decisively counter Washington’s course of dual containment of Russia and China” and rejected what they described as “hostile approaches” toward both countries by the United States and its allies.
Putin and Xi also said they would work to “contribute to the establishment of peace in Ukraine,” while citing “the root causes” of the conflict — language reflecting Russia’s position that NATO’s eastward expansion forced it into launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While China has positioned itself as a potential mediator in the conflict, it has also been Russia’s leading supplier of dual-use goods since the war began, bolstering Moscow’s defense industry.
NATO has labeled China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s aggression.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month publicly accused Beijing of supplying weapons to Russia.
Xi expressed satisfaction at participating in the Victory Day commemorations, saying, “China and Russia are ready to defend the truth about the history of World War II.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Xi’s visit, which is expected to continue through Friday, includes bilateral talks with Putin and meetings between the two countries’ delegations.
During a three-and-a-half hour meeting, Putin expressed his willingness to make a formal visit to China and reaffirmed both nations’ commitment to expanding their strategic partnership.
The visit comes as the United States continues efforts to broker a cease-fire in Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration over the lack of progress, telling reporters last month that Putin may be “tapping me along” in negotiations.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on Wednesday that Washington would be prepared to “walk away” from talks if Russia does not show signs of making progress toward a settlement.