Putin and Xi Meet in Moscow, Issue Comprehensive Joint Statement

May 9—Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Moscow for more than seven hours, culminating in a series of cooperation agreements. Their discussions included a larger delegate meeting and a private one-on-one session over tea, where they addressed the possibility of resolving the Ukraine conflict. Russia emphasized that Xi’s visit to the May 9 Victory Day ceremonies was "the most important visit of the many world leaders attending the event."

Xi underscored China’s commitment to "unswervingly deepen" its strategic relationship with Russia. In their joint statement, both nations pledged to "resolutely defend the results of the Victory in World War II, suppress attempts to falsify its history, belittle and deny the historical contribution of Russia and China to the Victory in World War II, denigrate the liberators, and sharply condemn actions related to the desecration or destruction of memorials to those who died during World War II."

The statement also emphasized that "Moscow and Beijing will make every effort to counteract the increasing attempts to rehabilitate the misanthropic ideology of Nazism and racial superiority, and will continue to jointly oppose the glorification of Nazis and their accomplices, the rise of neo-Nazism, militaristic revanchism and practices that contribute to the escalation of various forms of racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and related intolerance."

"The parties declare their firm support for each other in ensuring sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability, preventing any attempts by external forces to impede the normal development of relations between the two states and interfere in their internal affairs, the right to independently choose a path of development, and the preservation of cultural and historical identity and traditional moral values."

Russia reaffirmed its support for the one-China policy and rejected any moves by Taiwan to declare independence. China, in turn, stated that it "supports the efforts of the Russian side to ensure security and stability, national development and prosperity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes outside interference in Russia’s internal affairs."

The agreement outlined key areas of cooperation, including:

• Promoting the stable development of bilateral trade
• Deepening ties in the field of investment
• Strengthening the Comprehensive Energy Partnership
• Increasing the level of financial interaction
• Improving transport infrastructure
• Intensifying industrial cooperation, particularly in technology and innovation
• Expanding and increasing the potential for scientific and technical cooperation

Regarding Ukraine, the statement stressed the necessity of "eliminating its root causes while respecting the principles of the UN Charter in their entirety, totality and interrelation and the principle of the indivisibility of security, taking into account the legitimate interests and concerns of all states in the field of security."

The statement also warned against the destabilizing expansion of existing and newly formed military alliances "close to the borders of other nuclear states," an explicit reference to NATO policies. It further criticized the U.S. "Golden Dome" missile defense project, stating that it "refused to recognize the inseparable link between offensive and defensive weapons and threatened the militarization of space."