Putin slams ‘discriminatory’ sanctions ahead of China trip

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow and Beijing stand together against “discriminatory” sanctions on global trade, as he heads to China for a summit bringing together some of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries.

In comments reported by China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency, Putin said that Moscow and Beijing “take a common stand against discriminatory sanctions that hinder the socioeconomic development of BRICS members and the world at large.” Putin will head to China on Sunday for a planned four-day trip.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting leaders from several countries targeted by Western sanctions, including North Korea, Iran, Myanmar and Belarus, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which kicks off on Sunday.

After he snubbed last year’s edition of the gathering, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also attending the gathering. Relations between India and the U.S. reached a low point this month after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods over the country’s purchase of Russian oil.

Putin will stay in China through Wednesday, when Xi is hosting a military parade to commemorate the end of World War II, following Japan’s formal surrender.

Alongside Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico will attend the parade, as well as Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Several EU foreign ministers on Saturday called on the United States to team up with Europe to pressure Putin to negotiate an end to his war against Ukraine before a Donald Trump-imposed deadline.

Moscow meanwhile launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine’s southern and central regions, authorities said, as Kyiv struck Russian oil refineries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 500 drones and 45 missiles, hitting 14 regions across the country.

“There were two large-scale attacks by Russia this week — absolutely brazen actions, through which Russia is demonstrating that without pressure from the world, there will be no end to the war,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

“And these are all clear signals to the United States, to Europe, and to the leaders who these days are in China and will be meeting with Putin,” the Ukrainian leader said.