Putin Lambastes U.S. Trade Sanctions on Eve of China Visit

On the eve of a visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted Western sanctions as his country’s economy teeters on the brink of recession, hit by trade restrictions and the costs of the war in Ukraine, Ryan Woo reported for Reuters.

Putin will be in China, Russia’s largest trading partner, from Sunday to Wednesday in a four-day visit the Kremlin has called “unprecedented.” (Photo: Xinhua)

Russia and China jointly opposed “discriminatory” sanctions in global trade, Putin said in a written interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency published Saturday.

Putin will be in China, Russia’s largest trading partner, from Sunday to Wednesday in a four-day visit the Kremlin has called “unprecedented.”

The Russian leader will first attend a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the northern port city of Tianjin. The security-focused SCO, founded by Eurasian nations in 2001, has since expanded to 10 permanent members, including Iran and India.

Putin will then travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and to attend a massive military parade marking the end of World War II following Japan’s formal surrender.