Putin Calls China ‘Natural Ally’, Vows Deep Cooperation with India

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By TRH World Desk

Putin Reaffirms ‘Natural Alliance’ with China, Pledges ‘Promising Plans’ for India at SPIEF Press Interaction

New Delhi, June 5 — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday lavished praise on China as a “natural” strategic partner and assured India of “promising, far-reaching” cooperation plans. Putin sought to make Asia the centrepiece of a wide-ranging interaction with heads of the world’s leading international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2026.

The session, organised by Russia’s state news agency TASS and held at the Konstantinovsky Palace near St. Petersburg, included representatives from India’s Press Trust of India (PTI), China’s Xinhua, France’s AFP, the United States’ Associated Press, Germany’s DPA, Spain’s EFE, Egypt’s MENA, and several other agencies from the former Soviet space.

Russia-China: ‘Natural Allies and Partners’

Answering a question directly posed by Xinhua, Putin pushed back against the widely used characterisation of Russia’s deepening ties with Beijing as a strategic “pivot.”

“We keep hearing people say that Russia made a ‘pivot’ toward Asia, but we did not pivot anywhere,” Putin told Xinhua. Russia and China, he said, are “natural allies and partners. We are neighbours — you don’t choose your neighbours.”

Putin was careful to stress that the relationship carries no anti-third-country intent. He noted that a bilateral treaty signed 25 years ago had laid the groundwork for what he described as an “unprecedented” level of cooperation today.

He reserved personal warmth for Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing him as an “old friend” and stressing that the characterisation was “not just a figure of speech.”

India: ‘Promising, Far-Reaching Plans’

Responding to a question from PTI, Putin offered New Delhi a pointed signal of Moscow’s economic intentions.

Russia, he said, would continue to invest in the Indian economy and has “promising, far-reaching plans” for bilateral cooperation with India. The remarks align with a broader framework both countries have been developing, including a long-term Economic Cooperation Programme targeting bilateral trade of USD 100 billion by 2030 — an agenda that gained momentum during Putin’s December 2025 visit to New Delhi for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

The PTI question and Putin’s response underscored the importance Moscow attaches to the India channel, particularly at a time when Western sanctions have pushed Russia to seek diversified partnerships across the Global South.

Ukraine: No Ceasefire Precondition, Negotiations Possible Now

Putin used the session to lay out Moscow’s updated position on the Ukraine conflict in some detail:

– Russia does not consider a ceasefire a precondition for negotiations — it would prefer to “stop the war entirely” rather than pause hostilities.

– Russia controls 100 per cent of the “Luhansk People’s Republic,” more than 85 per cent of the “Donetsk People’s Republic,” and around 80 per cent of the Zaporozhye region, with some 2,440 square kilometres seized in recent months.

– Ukrainian troop strength has declined by 100,000, with monthly losses running at approximately 40,000, according to Putin’s claims.

– Russia requires that any documents be signed by a “legitimate” Kyiv representative — “this is not a whim” — which could be President Volodymyr Zelensky or the Rada speaker depending on the nature of the document.

Putin dismissed suggestions that Russia might attack NATO as “disinformation aimed at fooling its own population to get money to fight Russia and demilitarize its economies.”

In a separate development coinciding with the session, Ukrainian President Zelensky published an open letter to Putin proposing direct negotiations with EU and US guarantors — a gesture Moscow had yet to formally respond.

Presidential Future: ‘Not Even Thinking About It’

Asked about a possible new presidential term, Putin acknowledged that the Russian Constitution permits him to stand again in 2030 but said it was “far too early” to discuss the matter. “I’m not even thinking about that right now,” he told the assembled agency heads.

SPIEF 2026: The Forum Context

The press interaction is a traditional fixture of Putin’s SPIEF schedule. The 29th edition of the forum, running June 3–6 under the theme “Pragmatic Dialogue: The Path to a Stable Future,” has drawn representatives from more than 130 countries and territories. Saudi Arabia is this year’s guest country.

In a notable diplomatic footnote, US President Donald Trump appointed Rodney Mims Cook Jr., Chairman of the US Commission of Fine Arts, as his representative to the forum — a signal of a tentative re-engagement channel between Washington and Moscow.