Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at Western sanctions on the eve of his visit to China, saying his country’s economy is teetering on the brink of recession due to trade restrictions and the costs of his war in Ukraine.
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In a written interview with China’s official Xinhua News Agency published on Saturday, Putin said that Russia and China jointly oppose “discriminatory” sanctions in global trade.
Putin will visit China, Russia’s largest trading partner, from Sunday through Wednesday in what the Kremlin described as an “unprecedented” four-day visit.
The Russian leader will first take part in the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the coastal city of Tianjin, northern China. The organization, founded in 2001 by a group of Eurasian states, is a security bloc that has since expanded to 10 permanent members, including Iran and India.
He will then head to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and to attend a massive military parade in the Chinese capital commemorating the end of World War II after Japan’s official surrender.
Xi had attended a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square last May marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union and its allies’ victory over Nazi Germany. That was the 11th time Xi had visited Russia since assuming the presidency over a decade ago.
Russia has faced multiple rounds of Western sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. U.S. President Donald Trump said he might impose “massive” sanctions on Russia depending on the progress of his efforts to broker a peace deal.
On relations with China, Putin said: “In short, economic, trade, and industrial cooperation between our two countries is advancing in multiple areas. During my upcoming visit, we will certainly discuss prospects for mutual cooperation and new steps to strengthen it for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and China.”
When Western countries severed ties with Russia following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, China quickly stepped in to support Moscow by purchasing Russian oil and selling goods ranging from cars to electronics, pushing bilateral trade to a record $245 billion in 2024.
Putin noted that China has become Russia’s top trading partner by volume, with transactions between the two countries now carried out almost entirely in rubles and yuan. He added that Russia is a major exporter of oil and gas to China and that both sides are working to reduce bilateral trade barriers.
He explained: “In recent years we began exporting pork and beef to China. Overall, agricultural and food products occupy a significant share of Russia’s exports to China.”
Putin did not address the European Union’s accusations that China is aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine, charges Brussels has described as a serious threat to European security. China denies those claims.
Putin and Xi had announced a “no-limits” strategic partnership in 2022 and have met more than 40 times over the past decade.
It is worth noting that Putin—wanted by the International Criminal Court for a war crime related to the illegal deportation of hundreds of Ukrainian children—last visited China in 2024.
