Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, two strong leaders with a special relationship 2:41
Moscow (CNN)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping called on NATO to stop further expansion during a meeting on the sidelines of the Olympics on Friday, according to a joint statement. issued by the Kremlin.
The summit of the two leaders, held on the day of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Beijing, represents another step in what has become an increasingly close partnership between Beijing and Moscow, as the Relations with the West are deteriorating for both.
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According to an English version of the joint statement issued by the Kremlin, the two countries "believe that certain military and political states, alliances and coalitions seek to obtain, directly or indirectly, unilateral military advantages to the detriment of the security of others."
Russia and China also “oppose the further enlargement of NATO and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon its ideological cold war approaches, respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their backgrounds of civilization, culture and history, and exercise a fair and objective attitude towards the peaceful development of other states," the Kremlin statement said.
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A summary by Chinese state media Xinhua says the two leaders "had an in-depth and comprehensive exchange of views on China-Russia relations and a number of major issues related to international strategic security and stability," but they did not directly mention NATO.
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Vladimir Putin Xi Jinping
