LONDON – Chinese President Xi Jinping has concluded his visit to Russia by effectively backing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance on the Ukraine war.

At a joint press conference held in Moscow, the Russian and Chinese leaders warned against “the practice by any country or group of countries to seek advantages in the military, political and other areas to the detriment of the legitimate security interests of other countries”. This echoes the traditional Putin claim that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came in response to supposedly aggressive Western military moves around Russia’s borders.