China is a vital strategic partner of Russia's. While it has said it plays no role in the war, Beijing has provided Russia with a major economic lifeline through large-scale oil purchases, helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions.

China has recently sent a fleet of five research and icebreaking vessels to the Arctic region near Alaska, an unprecedented level of deployment that has drawn close monitoring from the U.S. Coast Guard and military authorities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday flexed his country’s ties with India and China ahead of President Trump’s announcement of a planned meeting with Putin in Alaska on Aug. 17. Putin held phone calls with both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday,