www.zerohedge.com By Tyler Durden
Delivering remarks on a wide range of issues during the Russian president’s annual year-end press conference where he holds a long Q&A session with the press and public, Putin named Russia’s number one partner on the global stage.
While a decade ago his answer would have perhaps come as a shock given the two countries’ tense history and rivalry, particularly through the 20th century – it should come as no surprise now, after both find themselves firmly in Washington’s geopolitical and economic crosshairs… China, Putin named as an unprecedented partner of close cooperation from trade to technology to defense.
Russia is “Chinaâs number one partner,” the Russian president asserted, describing to the press conference that President Xi Jinping and he “have very trusting relations and it helps us build good business ties as well.” Putin stressed that Xi “is an obvious leader” and that recent meetings and cooperative endeavors “brings us closer together.”
