Putin looking east for partners
RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin attended large-scale military exercises yesterday involving China and several Russia-friendly countries, as Moscow seeks to strengthen partnerships in Asia in the face of Western sanctions.
Slapped with unprecedented sanctions from Washington and Brussels since its invasion of Ukraine, Putin has pursued closer ties with countries in Africa, South America and Asia, especially China.
Putin attended the Vostok-2022 manoeuvres that were being held in training grounds in Russia’s Far East, and in the waters off its eastern coast, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Putin was meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov at the Sergeyevsky military range, and would later observe the final phase of the military exercises.
The drills, involving several of Russia’s neighbours, as well as Syria, India and key ally China, started on September 1 and are due to end today.
According to Moscow, over 50 000 soldiers and more than 5 000 units of military equipment, including 140 aircraft and 60 ships, were to be involved in the drills. Similar drills were last held in 2018.
Putin’s visit to Russia’s Far East will continue today in the port city of Vladivostok, where he is expected to address the Eastern Economic Forum.
Over 5 000 people will be taking part in the four-day forum that began on Monday, with the largest delegation hailing from China, the Kremlin said. Putin will be joined by China’s top legislator, Li Zhanshu, who ranks third in the Chinese government hierarchy, with a bilateral meeting also on the agenda.
Beijing and Moscow have drawn closer in recent years, acting as a counterweight to the global dominance of the US. Russia announced yesterday that China will be switching from US dollars to the national currencies of the two countries, yuan and rubles, to pay for deliveries of Russian natural gas.
The new payment system is “mutually beneficial” and will “become an excellent example for other companies”, the CEO of Russian energy giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said.
In response to Western sanctions, Russia has reduced gas deliveries to several European countries, causing energy prices to soar, and is seeking to boost deliveries to markets outside Europe. Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, announced that it had started issuing loans in Chinese yuan in response to a “strong demand” in Russia.
At the economic forum, Putin was to hold a bilateral meeting with Myanmar junta chief Min Aug Hlaing. Russia and China have been accused of arming Myanmar’s junta with weapons used to attack civilians since last year’s coup.