Attempts to establish such alliances are “harmful and counterproductive” for regional security, the Russian president has said The Asia-Pacific region should be free of military blocs because of their potential to undermine the security balance, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

The US president claims he told his Chinese counterpart that Beijing would pay a heavy price for violating anti-Russia sanctions President Joe Biden said he tried to lay down the law with China early in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, warning President Xi Jinping that it would be a “gigantic mistake” to ignore the West’s anti-Moscow sanctions.

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