Putin Ally Issues Warning on Russia-China Ties: 'Very Dangerous'

Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent Russian propagandist and ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested recently that Moscow relying on its alliance with China could be "very dangerous."

Solovyov is a television presenter on the state-owned Russia-1 channel and is known for his outspoken political commentary. On Saturday, TheKremlinYap, a watch-dog account on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, shared a clip from a recent broadcast in which he questioned Russia's continued reliance on its relationship with China.

"It's dangerous to replace America with China," Solovyov said, as translated by TheKremlinYap. "Thinking about it, it is very dangerous that we may come running from there to here. And just as we used to put all our eggs in the Anglo-Saxon basket, we may put them in the Chinese basket."

He continued: "This is very dangerous. It is necessary [for our country] to finally recognize itself as a bear who loves its taiga and relies on its own strength. Formulate for itself, once and for all, its own national interests, identify enemies, and do not hesitate to call them enemies. Then, there will be no desire to merge with anyone."

Newsweek reached out to Russian officials via email for comment.

Russia and China have maintained a strong relationship over the course of several decades, with the latter being one of the few nations to maintain diplomatic, political, and economic ties with the Kremlin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Beijing claiming to have a neutral stance on the conflict. Weeks prior to the start of the invasion, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a so-called "friendship with no limits," further attesting to their purported alliance.

The relationship has, at various points since then, been tested. In July, a Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Odesa struck a Chinese consulate building, damaging its exterior, but resulting in no casualties.

"China is closely following the developments and staying in touch with the parties concerned. We will take all measures necessary to keep Chinese institutions and nationals safe in Ukraine," a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry read at the time.

In the wake of the missile incident, Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's then-defense minister, took to social media to lay out other incidents that have tested the alliance between Russia and China.

"May 16: russia attacked Kyiv with Kinzhal missiles while Chinese envoy Li Hui was visiting the Ukrainian capital; July 19: russia destroyed 60,000 tons of Ukrainian grain, some of which was supposed to have been exported to the PRC," Reznikov wrote in a July post. "July 20: the building of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, located in the middle of a residential area, was damaged as a result of a russian missile and drone attack on Odesa. A brief chronicle of a friendship with no limits."