Xi & Putin vow ‘friends of steel’ alliance to resist US power, deepen Russia-China ties

Meeting in Moscow for the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin issued a 7-page joint statement promising to raise cooperation “in all areas” – from energy and investment to expanded military drills – and to “decisively counter” what they called Washington’s strategy of dual containment. Xi hailed the pair as “friends of steel that have endured a hundred trials by fire,” while Putin said they would personally oversee projects aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment toward 2030 targets.

The leaders framed their partnership as the backbone of a “fairer multipolar order,” casting the US and NATO as destabilising forces. On Ukraine they repeated that a settlement depends on removing the war’s “root causes,” language Moscow uses to justify its invasion and oppose Kyiv’s NATO ambitions. Xi’s presence – alongside two dozen foreign guests for Russia’s Victory Day events – gives Putin diplomatic cover as he faces US pressure to agree to a durable ceasefire with Ukraine.

Xi also rebuked “unilateralism and bullying,” a swipe at Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff campaign that has strained Beijing–Washington ties. The summit comes as Russia observes a unilateral three-day ceasefire and Kyiv doubts Moscow’s intentions. With US-Russia talks on hold and Trump threatening to abandon mediation, diplomats say the Beijing–Moscow axis could shape the next phase of both the Ukraine conflict and wider geopolitical trade battles.