Vladimir Putin’s welcoming remarks to Xi Jinping appear to have been a carefully crafted barb aimed at Ukraine and its allies, to make the Chinese president’s visit to Moscow sting even more.
“Together with our Chinese friends, we… counteract modern manifestations of neo-Nazism and militarism,” the Kremlin leader said.
It was a thinly veiled reference to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Moscow characterises as an existential struggle against modern-day Nazis.
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Putin welcomes ‘dear friend’ Xi in Kremlin
China insists it’s neutral on the war, but Kyiv disputes that. Last month, Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Beijing of supplying weapons and gunpowder to Russia directly.
Xi didn’t mention Ukraine, but he did say that China and Russia should be “true friends of steel” and would work together to counter “unilateralism and bullying”.
Kyiv is already furious that Xi is in Moscow in the first place, where Chinese troops will take part in Friday’s military parade on Red Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
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According to Kyiv, it’s a show of support for Russia’s current conflict at a time when the West is trying to isolate Moscow.
Vladimir Putin’s comments about Chinese support seem designed to needle Ukraine further, and to show that China – militarily or not – is on Russia’s side.