China’s President Xi visited Russia this week and Russian President Putin is scheduled to visit China in September. “The Ukrainian crisis has strained Russia’s relations with the West. Sanctions have been imposed on Moscow, hurting Russia’s economy as well as causing its currency and energy exports to plunge. As a result, the Russian government is moving closer towards Asia, particularly China… the two nations have been developing increasingly warming ties and finding common ground internationally, especially at the UN Security Council where they are both permanent members.