China and Russia on Thursday pledged to step up their military ties, despite Western pressure on Beijing to rein in Moscow from advancing in Ukraine.
In a joint press conference in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he and visiting Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed that “a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is the correct direction”. Xi also said China would like to “play a constructive role” in restoring peace in the European continent, as the Chinese government had stated when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
