Putin says ties with China not driven by geopolitical events

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia's close relations with China were unrelated to geopolitical events, speaking on Friday at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Putin, who made his comments shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping's pre-recorded video address to the forum, said Russia's cooperation with Beijing was driven by China's potential and not "recent geopolitical events". Russia has sought to deepen economic ties with China, after the West imposed tough sanctions on Russia after Moscow sent troops across the border into Ukraine on Feb. 24.