Vladimir Putin’s assertion that “an era of American hegemony has come to an end” is not the first time the Russian President has voiced delusional claims that the West under Washington’s leadership is on its last legs. But following his high-profile re-signing this week with China’s President Xi Jinping of the far-reaching Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation – which forms the bedrock of relations between Moscow and an ever more belligerent Beijing – Mr. Putin’s claim demands a strong response. The assertion by Mr. Putin, fresh from his Geneva summit with Joe Biden, is deeply significant. The reinvigorated Sino-Russian pact, which covers strategic, military, and economic cooperation, Mr. Putin says, is designed to take relations between Moscow and Beijing to “an unprecedented height” at a time of deepening global tensions.
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Russian Sukhoi Su-35S fighter aircrafts, Su-34 military fighter jets and Su-30SM jet fighters fly in formation over the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow on May 7, 2021, during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade.
