A report published by the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya revealed that President Vladimir Putin's announcement that Moscow and Beijing do not form a military alliance, and his denial of the existence of secret transactions within the framework of military-technical cooperation, was an answer to the main question that haunts the West about President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Moscow.
Putin further confirmed his denial of intention to turn the country into China's guard base in Europe and create an anti-NATO alliance, Nezavisimaya reported.
According to the report, Putin's statement completely contradicted the expectations of many commentators, both inside and outside Russia, that the Chinese president's visit touched on topics that threaten the interests of the West, foremost of which is the supply of weapons to Russia, the establishment of a common anti-Western front, and pressure on the Kremlin to convince it to withdraw military forces from Ukraine.
The president's statement also reveals that the possibility of a military alliance between Beijing and Moscow is unlikely.
Regarding the naval exercise "Maritime Security Belt 2023" held in the Gulf of Oman between March 15 and 19 with the participation of Russia, China and a number of countries, including Iran, the report explained that Putin wanted to convey a message that Russia continues joint exercises with China and other countries despite what is happening in Ukraine.
The main fear related to the Chinese president's visit to the country is related to the possibility of Moscow and Beijing uniting on the basis of anti-Western and anti-American.
A base for China in Europe?
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger tried to convince the public of the absence of props to this fear, stressing that it is in his country's interest to get rid of Moscow away from China through the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which the West needs to settle in one way or another.
"If we don't want Russia to become China's guard base in Europe, we need to find a place for Ukraine and a place for Russia," he said.
Yuri Rogolev, director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation for American Studies at Moscow University, said Kissinger was not putting forward a new idea, often talking about the need for the United States to block the Russian-Chinese alliance.
Rogolev said Beijing has not spoken of a deep partnership with Russia on an anti-Western basis, and believes China's foreign policy moves are not aimed at creating an anti-American coalition but rather at ensuring Taiwan's international isolation.
Nezavisimaya returned to point out that the 11 UN member states that recognize Taiwan as a separate, politically weightless state belonging to Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, can easily change their position on the issue.