US sees no threat in Russia-China joint military drills, but closely monitors them
John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council (Getty Images)
The United States is closely monitoring the development of defense relations between Russia and China, which have strengthened in recent years, including joint exercises on land, in the air, and at sea, according to the US National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, John Kirby.
According to him, despite the deepening cooperation between China and Russia, the two countries have historically not fully trusted each other, both in the region and on the global stage.
"We’ll watch it like we watch all exercises. These are two nations that don’t have a long history of working well together, certainly not militarily. These are two nations that don’t necessarily fully trust one another in the region or beyond, around the world," Kirby said.
He also emphasized that these exercises have been long-planned and do not raise significant concerns for the US.
"I see no reason for us to change our own military posture or deterrent posture as a result of this exercise. This is a long-planned exercise. It’s a part of their regimen. So, we’ll watch it and monitor, but there’s no dramatic, imminent concern about it," Kirby added.
It is worth recalling that China previously announced plans to conduct North-Joint 2024 military exercises with Russia, which will take place in the air and sea areas of the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk throughout September.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Beijing's continued fueling of the war against Ukraine through its ties with Russia could negatively affect China's interests and reputation.
