President Putin Admits Military Cooperation With China But Doesn't Make Alliance

President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Russia and China did not form a military alliance, in cooperation between the armed forces of the two "transparent" countries, President Vladimir Putin said in comments broadcast on Sunday, after last week receiving President Xi Jinping.

Presidents Putin and Xi declared the friendship between the two countries, promising closer ties, including in the military field, during their summit in the Kremlin, Moscow on March 20-21.

"We did not create a military alliance with China," President Putin said on state television.

"Yes, we have cooperation in the field of military technical interactions. We don't hide this. Everything is transparent, nothing is confidential," he said.

In a televised address, President Putin dismissed the notion of increasing Moscow's relations with Beijing in areas such as energy and finance, meaning Russia is becoming overly dependent on China, saying this is the view of "jelly people".

"For decades, many people have wanted to make China fight the Soviet Union and Russia, and vice versa," President Putin said.

"We understand the world we live in. We really appreciate our reciprocal relationship and the level they have achieved in recent years," he said.

Furthermore, President Putin also accused the United States and NATO of trying to build a new global "poros", which he said had similarities to the Second World War alliance between Nazi Germany, Italy, fascist and imperial Japan.

President Putin called Australia, New Zealand and South Korea a country in line to join "globalNATO", and referred to defense agreements signed by Britain and Japan earlier this year.

"That's why Western analysts... talk about the West starting to build a new axis similar to the one created in the 1930s by the fascist regimes of Germany and Italy and the militarist Japan," he said.

It is known that China and Russia signed an "infinity" partnership agreement in early 2022, just weeks before President Putin sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine.

Beijing has refrained from criticizing President Putin's decision and submitted a peace plan for Ukraine. The West has rejected the proposals as a tactic to give Putin more time to rebuild his troops in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Washington recently said it was worried Beijing would arm Russia, something China denies.