Xi and Putin say their alliance is rock solid amid Trump’s overtures to Russia

BEIJING/SHENZHEN – Barely a week after Washington and Moscow appeared to make nice – potentially to the detriment of Beijing – Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reassured each other that their de facto alliance remains rock solid.

Three years to the day Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, on Feb 24,

Mr Putin, in a phone call to his Chinese counterpart, gave an

update on Russia’s recent engagements with the US,

and said that Sino-Russian ties are “not subject to external influence”.