On Eve of China Visit, Putin Slams Western Trade Sanctions

On the eve of his state visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized Western sanctions, warning that his country’s economy is edging toward recession under the weight of trade restrictions and the costs of the war in Ukraine.

In a written interview published Saturday by China’s official Xinhua News Agency, Putin said Russia and China “jointly oppose discriminatory restrictions” in global trade.

The Kremlin has described Putin’s four-day trip to China—from Sunday through Wednesday—as “unprecedented.” China is Russia’s largest trading partner, and the visit is expected to reinforce economic and strategic ties between the two nations.

Putin will first attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, a northern Chinese port city. Founded in 2001 as a security-focused bloc of Eurasian countries, the SCO has since expanded to 10 permanent members, now including Iran and India.

Following the summit, Putin will travel to Beijing for talks with President Xi Jinping and to attend a large military parade marking Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. In May, Xi took part in a Red Square parade in Moscow commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany—his 11th visit to Russia since becoming president more than a decade ago.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has faced multiple rounds of Western sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that “major” new sanctions could be imposed depending on whether his administration sees progress in efforts to secure a peace agreement.

Speaking on Russia-China ties, Putin emphasized: “In short, economic, trade, and industrial cooperation between our countries is advancing in many areas.” Western governments, however, accuse China of tacitly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine—a charge Beijing denies.

“During my upcoming visit, we will, of course, discuss the prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation and new steps to strengthen it further for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and China,” Putin said.

As Western nations cut ties with Moscow after the invasion, Beijing stepped in—buying Russian oil and exporting everything from cars to electronics—helping push bilateral trade to a record $245 billion in 2024.

Putin noted that almost all Russia-China transactions are now conducted in rubles and yuan. Russia has become a major exporter of oil and gas to China, while the two countries are working together to ease trade barriers.

“In recent years, exports of pork and beef to China have begun,” Putin said, adding that agricultural and food products now play a leading role in Russia’s exports to the Chinese market.

Notably, Putin made no mention of European Union accusations that China is indirectly supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine—allegations the EU says pose a grave threat to European security. Beijing has consistently denied these claims.

In 2022, Putin and Xi declared a “no-limits” strategic partnership. Over the past decade, the two leaders have met more than 40 times.

Wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes for the illegal deportation of hundreds of Ukrainian children, Putin last visited China in 2024.