Putin hails China-Russia ties in talks with Defence Minister Li Shangfu

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu to the Kremlin on the first day of his three-day visit to Russia, where the two are preparing to discuss Beijing's deepening military cooperation with Moscow.

Both countries have ramped up ties in recent years to counterbalance global US dominance, and they've only grown closer since Putin launched an offensive in Ukraine last February.