Chinese leader Xi Jinping keeps flexing his superpower muscles for the whole world to see. He seemed to love putting on a show of solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the three-day state visit to Moscow that began on Monday.
The Kremlin said on that Xi is spending his time in Russia’s capital negotiating and signing statements with Putin so that their countries will strengthen economic cooperation between the nations over the next decade. This tie gives Putin a lifeline after Western nations have imposed sanctions against Russia because of its war in Ukraine.
Xi and Putin signed a joint statement in which they voiced support for “the international community to support constructive efforts” toward “responsible dialogue.”
Russia started what they called a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The war has led to tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of people.
The United States government led a coalition of countries in instituting financial penalties against Russia and sending Ukraine billions of dollars of lethal aid. They have rejected calls for a ceasefire because it would cement Russia’s hold on territory it has taken.
The U.S. announced on Monday that it would send Ukraine an additional $350 million in ammunition, weapons, and military vehicles.
Xi had already declared a “no limits” friendship with Russia and this week declared “political mutual trust is deepening” between their two countries and “common interests are multiplying.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby dismissed the idea that the world is watching the formation of an alliance.
The talks in Moscow come on the heels of the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for Putin because of alleged war crimes during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It focuses on the abduction of children, and the Russian leader’s visit to the captured city of Mariupol.
