Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a blistering attack on the west ahead of a visit to China this week, blaming “western elites” for the war in Ukraine and outlining Beijing and Moscow’s alignment on a parallel world order.In an interview published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday, Putin said the two autocracies had “similar or coinciding positions” on geopolitical issues.
Both Russia and China advocated for “international law”, Putin said, but rejected “western attempts to impose an order based on . . . some mythical rules of no one knows whose making”.
The publication of the lengthy interview comes as Putin is due to arrive in China on Thursday for a two-day state visit, the Russian leader’s first foreign trip since he was sworn in for a fifth presidential term last week.