Moscow - Yesterday Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in Moscow, where they both praised the military cooperation between their two countries. This meeting took place shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Moscow. During the meeting, Putin stated that the two countries were actively working together in the field of military-technical cooperation, exchanging useful information, and conducting joint military exercises in the Far East and Europe involving ground, naval, and air forces. Putin emphasized the strategic nature of their relations, which he said were strengthened by their military ties.

Russia and China have been working to strengthen their economic, political, and military ties since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Despite Russia's military actions in Ukraine, China has refused to criticize Moscow and instead blames the United States and NATO for provoking the conflict. However, Washington has accused Beijing of considering arms exports to Moscow, which China has denied.

Li's visit to Russia, which will last until April 19, is his first trip to another country since he was appointed last month as China's defense minister. Li emphasized the special nature and strategic importance of their bilateral ties, which he said were stronger than the military-political alliances of the Cold War era. He also expressed China's willingness to work with Russia to further strengthen strategic communication between the two militaries.

Li has been under US sanctions since 2018 over the purchase of combat aircraft and equipment from Russia's main arms exporter, Rosoboronexport. Beijing had announced Li's visit to Moscow last week, stating that he would meet with defense officials, but did not mention a meeting with Putin.