Russia and China showcased their deepening ties on Wednesday in a series of meetings closely watched for signs that Beijing might offer the Kremlin stronger support for its war in Ukraine.
The visit to Moscow by Wang Yi — the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official — comes as the conflict in Ukraine continues to upend the global diplomatic order.
Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War, and ties between China and the US are also under serious strain.
Moscow suspended its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with Washington this week.
And the US expressed concern in recent days that China could provide arms and ammunition to Russia.
Kremlin expects Xi visit
Speaking at the start of talks with Mr Wang, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed ties between the two countries and added that the Kremlin expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Russia.
Mr Putin hailed ties between the two countries, saying cooperation in the face of global tensions "is particularly important for stabilising the international situation".
In return, Mr Wang agreed that a time of crisis required Russia and China "to continuously deepen our comprehensive strategic partnership".
Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Wang said the relationship between China and Russia was not directed against any third party but, equally, would "not succumb to pressure from third parties", a nod to both nations' tense relationships with the United States.
The growing friendship between Russia and China was not only symbolised in speech.
Mr Putin is well known for his excessively spaced meetings, in which he would sit at one end of a long, white, oval table and his guest at the other.
However, for this meeting, the men sat opposite each other, across the narrowest part of that table.
Security a concern for Putin
Security has been a particular concern for Mr Putin recently – his defence minister was shunted to the end of the long table at their last meeting — and guards posted around the Russian president were noticeably lacking firearms when he ventured out of Moscow to Volgograd earlier this month.
This time, however, Mr Putin and Mr Wang sat opposite each other in the narrow middle of the table, a clear symbol of Mr Putin's trust in the Chinese regime.
Due to sanctions imposed on Russia by the West, China has increasingly become an important trading partner for Russia.
China is Russia's largest buyer of oil, one of the key sources of revenues for the Moscow regime.
Rally celebrates Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Leading a crowd of thousands in chants of "Russia, Russia" later on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin issued a brief rallying cry during a stadium concert in Moscow to support the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The rally marked a year of the war as well as Defender of the Fatherland Day, a holiday celebrating Russia's veterans.
"They fight heroically, courageously, bravely. We are proud of them," Putin said of the forces in Ukraine, which he referred to as Russia's "historical frontiers".
"Today they are supported by the whole country."
The Kremlin casts the war as a "special military operation" to protect Russia's own security in what it sees as an existential confrontation with the West.
"When we are together, we have no equal. To the unity of the Russian people," Mr Putin said.
Mr Putin only spoke for a couple of minutes before Russia's national anthem played and he exited the stage.
It is the third time the Russian president has attended a mass gathering in support of his war in Ukraine, which he launched almost a year ago.
Tens of thousands of people packed into Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, which hosted the football World Cup final in 2018, waving Russian flags and listening to patriotic songs and military demonstrations before Mr Putin arrived.
A man trumpeted as a hero of Mariupol was celebrated on stage, surrounded by children who, the host of the event said, he rescued from the town.
The Twitter account of Novaya Gazeta, a Russian media outlet that asserts itself as free from censorship, shared images from outside the venue of pop-up tents offering samples of military rations and classes in crafting ammunition for rally-goers.
Advertisements ahead of the rally, which circulated on Telegram, promised a payment of 500 rubles ($9.77) to those who attended.
'Big mistake', says Biden
US President Joe Biden continued his tour of Poland on Wednesday, meeting with leaders from the Bucharest Nine, a collection of nations in the most eastern parts of the NATO alliance that came together in response to Mr Putin's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
In his first public appearance since Mr Putin announced (and both houses of government approved) Russia's suspension of the New START nuclear arms control treaty overnight, Mr Biden described the move as a "big mistake".
As the war in Ukraine drags on, the Bucharest Nine countries' anxieties have remained heightened.
Many worry Russia could take military action against them next if they're successful in Ukraine.
The alliance includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Addressing concerns of the NATO members that they could be next, Mr Biden pledged America's commitment to the treaty.
"As NATO's eastern flank, you are the frontline of our collective defence," Mr Biden said.
"You know better than anyone what is at stake in this conflict. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world."
The US President arrived in the Polish capital Warsaw late on Monday after a surprise visit to Kyiv just days ahead of the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday.
ABC/wires
