Putin and Xi display no limits

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s arrival in Moscow for the 80th anniversary of Russia’s “Victory Day” is an ominous reminder of the speed with which he and Vladimir Putin are deepening their “no limits” strategic alliance while the West has seldom looked more fractured or divided. Remarkably, it is Mr Xi’s 11th trip to see Putin. During his time as leader, he has paid more visits to Russia than to any other country.

He will be the guest of honour at a major Red Square military parade that, while it is intended to commemorate the former Soviet Union’s victory over the Nazis in what is known as Moscow’s Great Patriotic War, has also been accorded direct relevance to Putin’s so-called “special military operation” aimed at subjugating Ukraine.

According to commentators in Moscow, ahead of Victory Day Russian authorities have been portraying Putin’s onslaught against Ukraine as a continuation of WWII. The ludicrous official propaganda narrative is that Russia is once again fighting Nazism and fascism in Ukraine and across Europe, as it was in 1941, and that the war in Ukraine is similarly pitting Russia against “Hitler’s Crusaders”.

Mr Xi’s presence as the guest of honour at Putin’s side during the Victory Day commemorations adds a major dimension to that narrative. It is one that underlines the significance of the “no limits” alliance between the two authoritarian rulers. Countries of what may still be regarded as the Western alliance would be wise not to ignore the growing bonds between the two leaders on display in Moscow.

China may claim to be neutral in the Ukraine conflict. But all the evidence suggests otherwise, and that in his ill-judged onslaught against Ukraine Putin has Mr Xi firmly at his back sustaining him. The “no limits” alliance has provided Moscow with a vital economic lifeline that has enabled it to largely overcome Western sanctions.

If Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is to be believed, China is now doing even more than that. He has claimed Chinese mercenaries have joined thousands of North Korean troops in fighting with the Russian army: two Chinese were caught by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region, and Ukraine claims evidence of many more who have joined the battle.

No one in the West should be under any illusions about what the display of “no limits” friendship means at a time when, largely because of Donald Trump ill-considered tariffs, unity among even erstwhile close Western allies is under debilitating pressure.