LONDON—One of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies sought on Monday to deepen a strategic partnership with China, expanding defense cooperation and strengthening coordination between Moscow and Beijing on major geopolitical issues.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has tilted more strongly towards China as the war and severe Western sanctions torpedoed Russia’s relationship with the United States and its European allies.
Just before the invasion, Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared a “no limits” partnership, though at a meeting last week in Uzbekistan Putin said he understood that Xi had concerns and questions about the conflict.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a close Putin ally, met China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Nanping to discuss the implementation of agreements Putin and Xi reached at their meeting….