Economic lines drawn
| An economic partnership between Russia and China |
| President Vladimir Putin of Russia and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, declared an enduring economic partnership yesterday, promising to bring more Russian energy to China and more Chinese companies to Russia as the two leaders sought to insulate their countries from Western sanctions and other consequences of the war in Ukraine. |
| Embattled economically and isolated on the world stage, Russia has leaned heavily on China to make up for lost business since its economy has been severed from the West. Putin’s economic outreach this week was a clear sign that Beijing was gaining leverage over Russia, according to experts. |
| As the two leaders met, Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, visited Kyiv in a show of support that put the geopolitical fault lines created by Russia’s invasion into even sharper relief. Japan has joined with other Group of 7 nations to impose sanctions on Russia and provide billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. |
| Warfare: Ukraine’s Western allies have warned that Beijing may provide Moscow with arms for its invasion, but neither Putin nor Xi has made any reference to military assistance. The leaders instead focused on economic cooperation and casting the West as the obstacle to peace in Ukraine. Related: China has shipped more than $12 million in drones and drone parts to Russia since the start of the invasion, another indication that the countries are growing closer than ever. |
