Russian aircraft equipped with Kinzhal missiles to patrol Black Sea - Putin after meeting with Xi Jinping

Bloomberg reported on what the leaders of Russia and China discussed during the meeting.

In his speech in Beijing, Xi Jinping criticized unilateral sanctions, geopolitical rivalry, and bloc politics. Although he did not name any countries, these remarks were a clear reference to US policy toward China in recent years.

Putin, who spoke immediately after Xi, stated Russia wants to build an alternative world order.

"Russia and China, like most countries in the world, share the desire for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation to achieve universal sustainable and long-term economic progress and social well-being while respecting the diversity of civilizations and the right of each state to its own development model," the Russian leader said.

According to him, the Chinese initiative One Belt, One Road logically fits into "multilateral efforts to strengthen creative and constructive cooperation."

During his talks with Putin, the Chinese leader said that political mutual trust between the two countries continues to deepen, and that bilateral trade has allegedly reached a record high.

"In the 10 years since 2013, the Russian president and I have met 42 times and established good working relations and deep friendship. China is willing to work with Russia to safeguard international fairness and justice and contribute to the common development of the world," Xi said.

At the same time, Putin said that he spoke with Xi Jinping face-to-face over a cup of tea for almost three hours, discussing issues of a confidential nature.

Putin's statements after the talks with Jinping

After the talks with the Chinese leader, Vladimir Putin made several statements at a press conference. This was reported by the Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti.

The Russian dictator noted that Russia was launching constant patrols of the airspace over the Black Sea by aircraft equipped with Kinzhal systems.

"On my instructions, the Russian Aerospace Forces are launching permanent patrols in the neutral zone of the airspace over the Black Sea. This is not a threat, but we will monitor the situation in the Mediterranean," he said.

According to the dictator, enemy MiG-31s should be armed with Kinzhal systems, which have a range of more than 1,000 kilometers.

Putin also spoke about the conflict in the Middle East. He does not believe that the disagreement between Gaza and the rest of Palestine indicates hostility between them. According to him, the emergence of an independent Palestine will create conditions for a lasting peace.

"The Russian Federation has always advocated the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, this is not related to the current conflict," the Russian leader said.

In addition, Putin said that peace talks on Ukraine require not "theatrical gestures" but the abolition of Kyiv's decree banning such talks. He believes that the conflict should be resolved through negotiations.

"Ukraine is thinking about the negotiation process, it is a transformation in the right direction, I will praise it, but it is not enough," Putin said.

• On October 17, Putin arrived in Beijing. He is taking part in the One Belt, One Road forum. There, the Russian president took part in an official meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan.
• The Main Intelligence Directorate said that the Russian leader's visit to China could pose certain risks to Ukraine. However, Ukrainian intelligence is closely monitoring the situation.