Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised Western sanctions ahead of his four-day visit to China, warning that trade restrictions and the costs of the Ukraine war have pushed Russia’s economy into recession, as reported by Reuters. In a written interview with China’s Xinhua news agency on Saturday, Putin said Russia and China were united in rejecting “discriminatory” measures in global trade. Putin’s trip, which the Kremlin described as “unprecedented,” runs from Sunday to Wednesday. He will first attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, before travelling to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and to take part in a military parade marking the end of World War Two in Asia. The visit follows Xi’s May trip to Moscow, where the Chinese leader attended a military parade on Red Square celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. It was Xi’s 11th visit to Russia since becoming president. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Western nations have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions. US President Donald Trump has also warned of “massive” new penalties unless peace talks progress. Putin, however, praised China’s role in shoring up economic ties. “To sum up, economic cooperation, trade and industrial collaboration between our countries are advancing across multiple areas,” he said. “During my upcoming visit, we will certainly discuss further prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation and new steps to intensify it for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and China.” Russia-China trade hit a record $245 billion in 2024, as Beijing increased purchases of Russian oil and expanded goods sales after Western countries cut economic ties with Moscow. “In recent years, the export of pork and beef to China has been launched. Overall, agricultural and food products occupy a prominent place in Russia’s exports to China,” Putin noted. He added that transactions were increasingly being conducted in rubles and yuan, and highlighted Russia’s role as China’s key oil and gas supplier. Putin did not directly address EU accusations that China has been aiding Russia’s war effort in Ukraine—allegations Beijing has consistently denied. The two leaders declared a “no limits” partnership in 2022 and have met more than 40 times in the past decade. Putin last visited China in 2024, a year after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant against him for the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
