Putin seeks to strengthen military cooperation with China; Ukraine repels new Russian attack

Russia aims to strengthen its military cooperation with China, while bombing Ukraine again.

During a videoconference this Friday, December 30, with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that he seeks to “strengthen cooperation between the Russian and Chinese armed forces.” A position supported by Beijing.

In their public comments, before starting the private conversations, both pointed out that in the face of a “difficult international situation” it is necessary to extend military collaboration.

“In the face of rising geopolitical tensions, the importance of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership is growing as a stabilizing factor,” said Putin, whose invasion of his neighboring country has been hampered by fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces and Western military aid. for the attacked country.

Putin’s words were widely supported by the president of the Asian giant. While Moscow and Beijing already have military cooperation, amid Western economic sanctions against Russia, the Chinese government has tried to play a neutral stance, but that would have changed. In recent months they have multiplied their naval maneuvers and now openly indicate that they seek to expand the controversial military collaboration.

Despite this, Xi affirmed this Friday that his country maintains an “objective and fair position” on what Putin calls a “special military operation” to “denazify” Ukraine and that has claimed the lives of thousands of people.

China stands ready “to increase strategic cooperation with Russia, provide mutual development opportunities, be global partners for the benefit of the people of our countries and in the interests of stability around the world,” Xi said.

Beijing defended the alleged intentions of the Kremlin to reach a negotiated solution to the war that has been going on for more than 10 months.

“The Chinese side has noted that the Russian side has said that it has never refused to resolve the conflict through diplomatic negotiations,” Xi said.

Likewise, the Asian leader told Putin that the road to peace talks with Ukraine “will not be easy.”

Although neither of the two leaders specified what the new collaboration would consist of, they made it clear that they are on their way to achieving it. The Russian leader indicated that he hopes to receive Xi in Moscow next spring, a visit that “will demonstrate to the whole world the strength of Russian-Chinese ties on key issues and will become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations.” , said.

Isolated by the West, Russia aligns itself with Iran and China

In addition to military support, Russia would try to show that it would not be so isolated on the geopolitical spectrum. Amid strong international backlash since ordering the invasion, the Kremlin is leaning on Iran and China to add fuel to its war in Ukraine.

On December 10, the United States warned of a “large-scale” and “unprecedented” military partnership between Tehran and Moscow.

According to Washington, Russia is moving to provide Tehran with advanced military assistance, including air defense systems, helicopters and fighter jets. In exchange, the Islamic Republic provides the Kremlin with hundreds of drones with which the Russian military bombards Ukrainian territory.

Meanwhile, Beijing once again made clear on Friday its ideological affinity with Moscow when it comes to opposing what both consider a hegemonic West led by the United States.

“China stands ready to work with Russia and all progressive forces in the world that oppose hegemonism and power politics (…) And firmly defend the sovereignty, security and development interests of both countries and international justice” , Xi stressed, while stating that “sanctions and interference are doomed to fail.”

kyiv shoots down 16 Iranian-made drones in new massive Russian attack

While Putin seeks to strengthen the rapprochement with his allied countries, on the ground his troops increase the siege against Ukrainian military and civilians.

In the early hours of this Friday, Russia launched a new barrage of missile and drone attacks, according to the kyiv Army.

Moscow carried out a total of 85 missile assaults, 35 airstrikes and 63 attacks from multiple rocket launch systems in the past 24 hours, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its daily report on the war.

Authorities reported that at least one person died during the assaults that were launched from the southeast and north, where the capital is located.

During the onslaught, all the drones launched by the Russian soldiers were shot down, the military of the attacked nation said. They were 16 Iranian-made kamikaze ‘shahed’ unmanned aircraft, the military institution added.

The Russian Defense Ministry has admitted it carried out a “massive attack” with high-precision weapons, saying it targeted military and industrial facilities in Ukraine.

However, the ongoing assaults also widely target critical civilian infrastructure, leaving millions of Ukrainians without power or water.

The new aggression took place when the Ukrainian territory has not yet recovered from the massive bombardment a day earlier, in which Moscow launched dozens of cruise missiles throughout the nation. kyiv, the capital, Kharkiv in the east, and Lviv in the west near the border with Poland are among the cities that were bombed.

With Reuters and AP