Putin and Xi condemn U.S., agree to strengthen Russia-China strategic ties
Foreign Policy,World,Xi Jinping,China,Vladimir Putin,Russia,Ukraine War
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday pledged to deepen the countries' already close strategic ties and condemned what they claimed was aggressive behavior from the U.S.
Why it matters: The joint statement from the two leaders is an overt snub to U.S. officials, who traveled to China last month and objected to Beijing's material and financial support for Russia throughout its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
In the joint statement, they condemned the U.S. for "hegemonic attempts" to change the balance of power in Northeast Asia and for its "intimidation in the military sphere" against North Korea.
Context: Putin is on a two-day state visit to China, the first known foreign trip since he seized a fifth term as president earlier this year.
China has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has abstained during United Nations votes against the war and Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory.
What they're saying: Speaking Thursday, Putin and Xi claimed Russia and China's relationship was needed to defend "fairness" and "justice" and a "democratic world order," according to Reuters.
