Russia, China toast ever closer ties

Putin tells Xi relations at 'unprecedented level'

BEIJING:

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday that their countries' ties were at an "unprecedented level", during talks in Beijing ahead of a massive military parade.

Wednesday's showcase of China's might has been seized by world leaders as an opportunity to hold rare face-to-face talks, with North Korea's Kim Jong Un expected to hold summits with both Putin and Xi according to South Korean sources.

Xi himself has embarked on a flurry of diplomatic meetings this week, including attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the northern city of Tianjin — a forum that China sees as an alternative to Western-dominated international cooperation.

Meeting Xi on Tuesday, Putin told him "our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russian-Chinese ties, which are currently at an unprecedented level", according to a pooled live feed.

In a nod to cooperation between the two countries during the war, Putin said "we were always together then, and we remain together now".

Xi and Putin have also both met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as Tehran faces the reimposition of European sanctions over its nuclear programme.

On Tuesday Xi told Pezeshkian China opposed the "use of force to resolve differences", but said it "supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty".

The military parade on Wednesday marks 80 years since the end of World War II and will be attended by around two dozen world leaders, including Kim in his first visit to China since 2019.

Kim is expected to mingle with other world leaders at a gala performance, as well as meet Xi and Putin for talks, Lee Seong-kweun, a South Korean member of parliament briefed by Seoul's spy agency, told reporters.

Putin also met with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday, praising his country's "independent foreign policy".

Fico has irked European leaders by criticising the bloc's support for Ukraine and pushing back against efforts to cut energy imports from Russia. Slovakia is highly reliant on Russian gas.