On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen their bilateral ties in the midst of Moscow’s 10-month-long war in Ukraine, which has survived another night of drone and rocket attacks after being heavily bombarded by missiles.
In their opening remarks via videoconference, which were made public, Putin and Xi avoided specifically mentioning Ukraine before entering into private discussions. Despite “geopolitical concerns” and a “tough international scenario,” they applauded the deepening of ties between Moscow and Beijing, with Putin expressing his desire to expand military cooperation.
Putin, whose invasion of a neighbouring nation has been thwarted by furious Ukrainian opposition and Western military assistance, indicated that the relevance of the Russian-Chinese strategic relationship is developing as a stabilising element in the face of rising geopolitical tensions.
The president of Russia stated that he anticipated Xi visiting Moscow in the spring. According to him, such a trip “would show the world the strength of the Russian-Chinese relationship on crucial problems and will become the largest political event of the year in bilateral relations.”
According to Putin, there is a “particular place” for military cooperation in their bilateral relations. He claimed that the Russian and Chinese armed forces should work more closely together.
Through a translator, Xi responded that Beijing was prepared to “increase strategic cooperation with Russia, provide each other with development opportunities, and be global partners for the benefit of the peoples of our countries and in the interests of stability around the world” in light of the “difficult and far from straightforward international situation.”
Chinese state media CCTV called the situation in Ukraine a “crisis” in its coverage on the summit. The phrasing was different from how China often referred to the “Ukraine problem,” and the shift might be a sign of increased anxiety on their part on how the crisis is developing.
According to CCTV, “Xi Jinping stressed that China has recognised that Russia has never refused to resolve the problem through diplomatic dialogue. China expresses its gratitude for this.”
Putin launched his forces into Ukraine on February 24, and since then, relations between Moscow and Beijing have improved. Joint naval exercises between Moscow and Beijing were just conducted last week in the East China Sea. Last December, Putin and Xi also communicated by video link.
China, which has pledged a “no limits” friendship with Russia, has steadfastly refrained from criticising the latter’s actions in Ukraine, blaming the United States and NATO for inciting Moscow, and has denounced the harsh sanctions put in place against it.
In response, Russia has steadfastly backed China during the disputes with the United States over Taiwan.
Both China and Russia are having problems at home. While a rise of Covid-19 cases has overrun hospitals in China, Putin is attempting to sustain public support for a conflict that has gone on longer than expected.
Authorities in Ukraine assessed the damage caused by the largest such assault in weeks, which took place on Thursday and involved a massive Russian missile attack on power plants and other critical infrastructure. According to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, four civilians were killed during the onslaught.
In its Friday morning briefing, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that in the previous day, Russian forces had launched a total of 35 airstrikes and 85 missiles on sites around Ukraine. According to the military report, Russia also carried out 63 attacks using multiple launch missile systems.
Following the initial missile barrage on Thursday morning, Russian forces assaulted Ukraine on Thursday night and early Friday with drones built in Iran, the Shahed-131/136, all of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.
Kyiv was the target of some, the mayor stated on Friday. According to Klitschko, of the seven drones that were used to attack the Ukrainian capital, five were shot down over Kyiv itself, and two were shot down as they approached the city.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated in his nightly video message that Russia still intends to annex all of Donetsk, hoping to do so by the first day of the new year. Additionally, Zelenskyy alerted Ukrainians to the possibility of another widespread airstrike.
“This year still has two days remaining. The enemy might try to force us to celebrate the New Year in the dark once more. Perhaps the occupants intend to punish us with their next attacks on our cities,” he speculated. But no matter what their plans, we are confident that we will endure. We shall. They will be ejected by us. Without a question. And they will pay for this dreadful conflict with punishment.
3,392 Ukrainian personnel are currently held captive by Russia, according to Alena Verbitskaya, the president’s commissioner for the protection of the rights of Ukrainian rights activists. According to him, another 15,000 persons are officially listed as missing in Germany’s RedaktionsNetzwerk.
