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Vladimir Putin has held an unexpected working meeting with China’s defence minister in Moscow, Russian state media has reported

Li Shangfu’s visit was announced last week, but Beijing said he was meeting defence officials, and made no mention of the Russian president. 

“We are working actively through our military departments, regularly exchange useful information, work together in the
field of military-technical cooperation, and hold joint
exercises,” Mr Putin said.

The exercises, he added, had been held in the Far East as
well as Europe and involved ground, naval and air forces. 

The meeting comes after China’s President Xi Jinping met Mr Putin in Moscow last month.

Russia and China have declared a “no limits” partnership and have moved to further strengthen their economic, political and military ties since the war in Ukraine began. 

Ukrainian forces have found a growing number of components from China in Russian weapons, a senior official in Kyiv said on Friday, but Beijing has denied sending any military equipment to Moscow.