Kremlin Says Not Surprised by West’s ‘Hostile’ Reaction to Putin-Xi Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping  - EPA
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping - EPA
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Kremlin Says Not Surprised by West’s ‘Hostile’ Reaction to Putin-Xi Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping  - EPA
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping - EPA

The Kremlin stressed Wednesday that it was not surprised by the West's 'hostile' reaction to the Russia-China summit, during which Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping reaffirmed their alliance amid the war in Ukraine.

"As for the reaction of the collective West, the fact that on all issues this reaction took on an unfriendly and hostile nature is not news to anyone," said Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The Chinese President has left Russia, wrapping up a three-day visit during which he and Putin signed a series of agreements on "strategic cooperation" between Beijing and Moscow.

Talks between the two leaders focused on Ukraine, as well as energy and trade issues.

Putin further welcomed China’s proposal for peace in Ukraine, which was criticized by the West.



Aid Group: More than 10,000 Migrants Died this Year Trying to Reach Spain by Sea

FILE - Migrants crowd a wooden boat as they sail to the port in La Restinga on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Maria Ximena, File)
FILE - Migrants crowd a wooden boat as they sail to the port in La Restinga on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Maria Ximena, File)
TT

Aid Group: More than 10,000 Migrants Died this Year Trying to Reach Spain by Sea

FILE - Migrants crowd a wooden boat as they sail to the port in La Restinga on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Maria Ximena, File)
FILE - Migrants crowd a wooden boat as they sail to the port in La Restinga on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Maria Ximena, File)

More than 10,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea this year, a report released by a Spanish migration rights group said on Thursday.
On average, that means 30 migrants died every day this year attempting to reach the country by boat, Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said. Overall deaths rose 58% compared to last year, the report added, according to The Associated Press.
Tens of thousands of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that has increasingly been used as a stepping stone to continental Europe.
Caminando Fronteras said most of the 10,457 deaths recorded up until Dec. 15. took place along that crossing, the so-called Atlantic route — considered one of the world's most dangerous.
The organization compiles its figures from families of migrants and official statistics of those rescued. It included 1,538 children and 421 women among the dead. April and May were the deadliest months, the report said.
Caminando Fronteras also noted a “sharp increase” in 2024 in boats leaving from Mauritania, which it said became the main departure point on the route to the Canary Islands.
In February, Spain pledged 210 million euros (around $218 million) in aid to Mauritania to help it crack down on human smugglers and prevent boats from taking off.
Spain’s interior ministry says more than 57, 700 migrants reached Spain by boat until Dec. 15 this year, a roughly 12% increase from the same period last year. The vast majority of them came through the Atlantic route.