Shocking reality: British saw a growing alliance between Russia and China

Putin with Xi Jinping in Kremlin, May 8, 2025
Photo: Kremlin.ru

“Friends of steel” – Xi and Putin pledge to stand together against US, stresses Reuters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia's Vladimir Putin on Thursday their two countries should be "friends of steel", as they pledged to raise cooperation to a new level and "decisively" counter the influence of the United States.

At talks in the Kremlin, the two leaders cast themselves as defenders of a new world order no longer dominated by the U.S.

In a lengthy joint statement, they said they would deepen relations in all areas, including military ties, and "strengthen coordination in order to decisively counter Washington's course of 'dual containment' of Russia and China".

The two countries said the Ukraine conflict could only be settled by removing its "root causes" – a phrase that Russia has frequently used when arguing that it was forced to go to war to prevent the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. Ukraine and its Western allies say that was a false pretext for what they call an imperial-style invasion.

Xi is the most powerful of more than two dozen foreign leaders who are visiting Moscow this week to mark Thursday's 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two – a celebration of huge significance for Putin.

Xi's participation – and the joint statement aligning China with Russia's view of the conflict – provide Putin with an important boost as Russia comes under pressure from the United States to end the war.

Russia says it wants to repair relations with Washington, which sank to post-Cold War lows because of the conflict in Ukraine, and that it sees the potential for lucrative business deals. But talks have failed to produce a ceasefire and President Donald Trump has threatened to walk away unless there is clear progress.

Xi said China and Russia should solidify the foundations of their cooperation and "eliminate external interference".

Chinese President Xi Jinping at the festive reception in Kremlin with the St. George Victory Ribbon.
Photo: Kremlin.ru

The two countries should "be true friends of steel that have been through a hundred trials by fire", he told Putin.

In another implied reference to the U.S., Xi said Russia and China would work together to counter "unilateralism and bullying".

Putin said the two leaders would personally oversee all key elements in the relationship, aiming for a substantial boost to trade and investment by 2030.

Domestically, the World War Two anniversary offers Putin a chance to rally Russians in remembrance of a historic feat that is central to the country's national identity. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in the war.

In opening remarks after greeting Xi in one of the Kremlin's most opulent halls, Putin thanked him for coming to Moscow to mark 80 years since the "sacred" victory over Adolf Hitler.

"The victory over fascism, achieved at the cost of enormous sacrifices, is of lasting significance," Putin said.

"Together with our Chinese friends, we firmly stand guard over historical truth, protect the memory of the events of the war years, and counteract modern manifestations of neo-Nazism and militarism."

In their joint statement, the two countries said some countries were seeking to "revise the results" of World War Two. They described themselves as the "main victorious states" in that conflict, failing to mention the role of the United States, Britain and many other countries, writes Reuters.

China’s Xi Jinping attends a reception in the Kremlin hosted by Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Photo: Sputnik

“There are changes happening, the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years. And we are the ones driving these changes together,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said as he took leave of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin back in March 2023.

As Putin and Xi embark on a four-day summit that begins on Wednesday in Moscow, they can be satisfied that those changes have indeed materialised, even if driven in part by the disruptive presidency of Donald Trump, screams ‘The Financial Times’.

The world is at an inflection point, and Beijing and Moscow are poised to be the major beneficiaries of America’s self-inflicted blow to its global stature. Now Putin and Xi need only strategise about how to capitalise on this historic moment and ensure that the demise of US hegemony is irreversible.

Heads of state arrived in Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory Day over fascist Europe.

First, Beijing and Moscow have learnt a great deal about how to inoculate themselves against Washington’s weaponisation of its technological and financial dominance. Russia’s ability to wage a costly war, despite a tsunami of western sanctions, is the best showcase for China’s America-proofing methods — be it reliance on the renminbi for payments and savings, or embracing Chinese tech. Moscow and Beijing are likely to aggressively market these tools, first and foremost in the global south, including through Brics — and, with his global tariff war, Trump has become their unwitting salesman.

Second, Xi and Putin have said for more than a decade that the western brand of democracy is far from perfect. What better testament to that than Trump’s re-election? At least for now, China can claim that its system offers certainty and a long-term view that is glaringly absent in Trump’s America.

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