The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Chinese defense minister meets Putin, discusses military cooperation

by The Kyiv Independent news desk April 16, 2023 10:06 PM 1 min read
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 20, 2023. (Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Li Shangfu, China’s newly appointed defense minister, visited Russia on his first official visit abroad on April 16 and met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Russia has been seeking to get Chinese weapons and technology to boost its war against Ukraine.

According to Shangfu, cooperation between the two states in the military sphere "is developing very well, which has a great impact on global and regional security."

Shangfu said that he “specifically chose Russia” in order to “emphasize the special nature and strategic importance” of bilateral relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, Putin said that both countries actively cooperate in the military field,  “regularly exchange useful information, work together in the field of military-technical cooperation, and hold joint exercises.”

China has claimed that it has a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine.

However, in March Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an agreement with Putin to open a  “new era” of bilateral cooperation.

“We signed a statement on deepening the strategic partnership and bilateral ties, which are entering a new era,” Xi said during his official visit to Moscow.

Explainer: What we learned from Pentagon leak and why it matters
A major U.S. intelligence leak exposed very detailed reports about Ukraine and its war effort. The documents detail the strength of Ukraine’s counteroffensive buildup, the U.S.’s doubt that it will go very far, Ukraine’s approaching vulnerability to air attacks, the sad state of the Russian

News Feed

5:30 AM

Trump says he may meet Putin 'shortly' after May Middle East visit.

Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Trump and Putin have yet to have direct contact, communicating only through their officials. Trump's last in-person encounter with his Russian counterpart was during the 2018 Helsinki Summit during the U.S. president's first term.
8:08 PM

Ukrainians react to US proposal of recognizing Crimea as Russian.

The U.S. media outlet Axios reported on April 23 that the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included the U.S. de jure recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and de facto recognizing its control of other occupied Ukrainian territories. We asked Kyiv residents for their reactions to the U.S. proposal.
7:21 PM  (Updated: )

Trump says 'nobody is asking' Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian.

"Nobody is asking (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.