Putin Speaks After Xi Meeting, Talks Up Future Cooperation Agreement

(MNI) London - Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking to journalists following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Initiative forum. States that during the three-hour talks he discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East with Xi. Putin: "Common threats only strengthen Russia-China cooperation"

• Putin states the two will meet in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek in which "we will sign a substantial plan of coordination until 2030." Says he is "Optimistic about further cooperation with China."
• Putin: "I have impression that key players do not want Israel-Palestine conflict to worsen."-RIA
• On NYT report of Ukraine using US ATACMS long-range missiles for the first time Putin states that "Supplies of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine create additional threat," but that they "will not change situation significantly...ATACMS supplies to Kyiv is a mistake by America."
• The Xi-Putin meeting comes as the lower chamber of the Russian Federal Assembly, the State Duma, has approved the final reading of legislation that revokes Russia's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Russian lawmakers have claimed that the move is only to move into line with the United States, which itself never ratified the 1996 treaty. However, there remain global concerns that the revocation of ratification by Russia could signal Moscow's intentions to carry out a nuclear test in the future, raising global nuclear tensions significantly.