[Source: Reuters]

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday their two countries should be “friends of steel“, as they pledged to raise cooperation to a new level and “decisively” counter the influence of the United States.

At talks in the Kremlin, the two leaders cast themselves as defenders of a new world order no longer dominated by the U.S.

In a lengthy joint statement, they said they would deepen relations in all areas, including military ties, and “strengthen coordination in order to decisively counter Washington’s course of ‘dual containment’ of Russia and China“.

The two countries said the Ukraine conflict could only be settled by removing its “root causes” – a phrase that Russia has frequently used when arguing that it was forced to go to war to prevent the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO.

Ukraine and its Western allies say that was a false pretext for what they call an imperial-style invasion.

Xi is the most powerful of more than two dozen foreign leaders who are visiting Moscow this week to mark Thursday’s 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two – a celebration of huge significance for Putin.

Xi’s participation – and the joint statement aligning China with Russia’s view of the conflict – provide Putin with an important boost as Russia comes under pressure from the United States to end the war.

Russia says it wants to repair relations with Washington, which sank to post-Cold War lows because of the conflict in Ukraine, and that it sees the potential for lucrative business deals.

But talks have failed to produce a ceasefire, and President Donald Trump has threatened to walk away unless there is clear progress.

Xi, whose country is currently engaged in a tariff war launched by Trump, said China and Russia should solidify the foundations of their cooperation and “eliminate external interference“.

The two countries should “be true friends of steel that have been through a hundred trials by fire“, he told Putin.

In another implied reference to the U.S., Xi said Russia and China would work together to counter “unilateralism and bullying“.

Xi and Putin have met dozens of times and signed a “no limits” strategic partnership in February 2022, less than three weeks before Putin sent his army into Ukraine.

China is Russia’s biggest trading partner and has thrown Moscow an economic lifeline that has helped it navigate Western sanctions.

Putin said the two leaders would personally oversee all key elements in the relationship, aiming for a substantial boost to trade and investment by 2030.

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