Putin and China's Defense Minister Meet

On April 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu. This was announced by the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, as reported by RIA Novosti.

“Putin held a working meeting with Li Shangfu, a member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and Minister of Defense,” the Kremlin spokesperson briefly informed and promised to later disclose details of the negotiations. The Kremlin's Telegram channel also published footage from the meeting between Putin and Li Shangfu. In particular, during the conversation with the Chinese defense minister, the Russian president emphasized the “very good development” of military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

Li Shangfu, for his part, stated during the meeting that cooperation between Russia and China will continue “in the interests of the prosperity of the entire world,” and noted that “as the Minister of Defense, he specifically chose Russia for his first visit to highlight the special nature and strategic significance of bilateral relations.”

Previously, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Li Shangfu would visit Russia from April 16-18. During the trip, negotiations are also planned directly between Li Shangfu and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. During the meeting, the ministers are expected to discuss “the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, as well as current issues related to global and regional security,” the military department specified.

Li Shangfu was appointed as China's defense minister on March 12. In 2018, he was sanctioned by the United States for allegedly facilitating the transfer of Russian Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 missile systems to China.

Earlier, U.S. officials had announced that China might consider the possibility of supplying weapons to Russia against the backdrop of that country's military conflict with Ukraine. Beijing denied this information. However, leaked Pentagon documents suggest that China may have approved the supply of lethal weapons to Moscow, according to The Washington Post.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia from March 20 to 22, during which he also met with Vladimir Putin.