"Russia: Cooperation with China limited to military technology... Not a military alliance like the US and Western countries"

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and agreed to strengthen cooperation in the nuclear power sector. On the 26th, he reportedly claimed, "We will not form a military alliance with China; it is only cooperation in the field of technology."

(From left) Vladimir Putin, President of Russia; Xi Jinping, President of China
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to local Russian media, President Putin said in an interview with a domestic broadcaster on the same day, "We will not form any military alliance with China," adding, "We are cooperating with China in the field of military technology, and we do not hide that." He further stated, "Everything is transparent, and there are no secrets."

Additionally, President Putin asserted, "The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have begun to create a new axis resembling the alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II," and claimed, "The efforts to form a global military alliance are being made by Western countries."

The leaders of Russia and China held a summit during President Xi's three-day visit to Moscow on the 21st, agreeing to continue the development of the fast neutron reactor (fast breeder reactor) and to strengthen technological cooperation. The fast breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that produces energy by inducing nuclear fission reactions using fast neutrons. In December last year, Russia's state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom transported 25 tons of highly enriched uranium.

Regarding this, the United States and others suspect that China's continued trade in highly enriched uranium with Russia may indicate the possibility of nuclear weapons cooperation.