Summit between Putin and Xi: the Kremlin is not surprised by the “hostile” reaction of Westerners

Chinese President Xi Jinping left Moscow on Wednesday morning after a two-day trip to Russia focused on strengthening ties with his counterpart Vladimir Putin, Russian agencies reported. Xi’s plane left Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after being greeted by an honor guard who played Russian and Chinese national anthems, RIA Novosti news agency reported. Senior Russian government officials attended the takeoff.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it was not surprised by the reaction “hostileof Western countries after the Russian-Chinese summit the day before during which Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping displayed their alliance, in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine. “As for the reaction of the countries of the collective West, the fact that their reaction on all issues was unfriendly and hostile in nature is no news to anyone.“, judged the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov.

“New era” of their relationship

During this visit, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping on Tuesday praised the entrance to a “new era“of their relationship”specialfacing the West, the Russian president cautiously supporting the Chinese plan to settle the conflict in Ukraine, while accusing kyiv of rejecting it. In the absence of a breakthrough on Ukraine, the summit aimed above all to demonstrate the solidity of relations between Russia and China, in a context of heightened tensions between these countries and the West.

In a joint statement with Cold War overtones, the two leaders sharply attacked the West, accusing the United States of “undermine“international security to retain their”military advantage“, and expressed their”concernin the face of NATO’s growing presence in Asia. Mr. Xi’s trip to Moscow was an important support for the Russian head of state, targeted since last week by an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The visit of the Chinese president to Russia also comes at a time when the latter has massively reoriented its economy towards China, in the face of Western sanctions of which it is the target. In this context, Mr. Putin announced on Tuesday that he had reached an agreement with Mr. Xi on the gigantic Siberian Force 2 gas pipeline project, which will allow Russia to supply 50 billion cubic meters of additional gas per year. Treated as an outcast by Westerners since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Mr. Putin can count on Beijing to break the isolation: Mr. Xi has thus invited him to visit China this year.