President Vladimir Putin said in a pre-trip video message that Russia and China will support each other on core issues including sovereignty and national unity. He described bilateral ties as at an "unprecedented level" of trust ahead of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Putin said Moscow and Beijing are expanding cooperation across economic, political and defence spheres and portrayed their strategic partnership as stabilizing global relations.
Putin: Russia and China Will Back Each Other on Sovereignty as Strategic Ties Deepen
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council via a video link in Moscow, Russia, May 18, 2026. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS
TOKYO, May 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said in a video message ahead of a visit to China starting Tuesday that Russia and China are prepared to support one another on a wide range of issues, specifically citing the protection of state sovereignty and national unity.
Speaking as he prepared to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for talks on Wednesday, Putin said relations between Moscow and Beijing had reached an "unprecedented level" of mutual understanding and trust. He said the two countries intend to cooperate on the basis of mutual benefit and equality.
"We will support each other on issues affecting the core interests of the two countries, including the protection of sovereignty and national unity," Putin said, without providing further details.
Putin added that Russia and China are actively expanding ties across economic, political and defence areas. He described the close, strategic connection between Moscow and Beijing as playing a "stabilizing role" in global affairs and stressed that the partnership is not aimed at aligning against any other country.
"We are not aligning against anyone, but working for the cause of peace and universal prosperity," he said.
(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Himani Sarkar)
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