Vladimir Putin issued a chilling message to the West from China, while his troops made a devastating advance against Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry said Saturday that forces have captured the village of Starytsia in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region as they continue to advance in a strategic offensive in the area. It comes after Russia said Friday that it had taken control of 12 settlements in Kharkiv in a week......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
Meanwhile, as Putin concluded his visit to China, he made a veiled reference to the West saying that the partnership between China and Russia “is not directed against anyone.” He added: “It is aimed at one thing: creating better conditions for the development of our countries and improving the well-being of the people of China and the Russian Federation.”
But he still had a back-handed rebuke for the US, and others who oppose the Moscow-Beijing relationship, saying an “emerging multipolar world… is now taking shape before our eyes. And it is important that those who are trying to maintain their monopoly on decision-making in the world on all issues … do everything in their power to ensure that this process goes naturally.”
The statements came after Putin’s two-day visit to China, underlining the countries’ burgeoning strategic ties as well as Putin’s own personal relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as they sought to present an alternative to US global influence.
Putin praised the growth in bilateral trade while touring a China-Russia Expo in the northeastern city of Harbin. He met students at the Harbin Institute of Technology, known for its defence research and its work with the People’s Liberation Army.
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Speaking to reporters, Putin praised his talks with Xi as “substantive,” saying that he spent “almost a whole day, from morning till evening” with the Chinese leader and other officials in Beijing the previous day. As he departed Beijing, the two leaders embraced.
China has been supplying Russia with materials needed in weapon production as Ukraine faces devastation by a new offensive that could close in on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Kyiv imposed a divisive mobilization law in an attempt to boost troop numbers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed two other laws Friday, allowing prisoners to join the army and increasing fines for draft dodgers fivefold.
