Putin has been widely condemned by the Western world for his invasion of neighboring Ukraine, while Russia has been hit with a series of sanctions. However, last week China abstained in the UN vote condemning Russia for the invasion while it has since tentatively expressed support for Putin. On Monday, as civilian casualties mounted, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Russia his country’s “most important strategic partner”.

He said the relationship between the two countries was “rock solid”.

Just over a month earlier, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Putin also heralded a new era for the two countries.

Ties between China and Russia have deepened in recent years amid growing tension in their relations with Europe and the United States.

During a speech at the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in 2020, Putin even suggested that a military union between the two countries could be formed.

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Asked if Russia and China could form a military alliance, Putin replied: “We don’t need it but theoretically it’s quite possible I guess.”

Putin also noted that Russia has shared sensitive military technologies that have helped boost China’s military potential.

He added, “Without a doubt, our cooperation with China enhances the defense capability of the Chinese military.”

He also claimed that there could be even closer military ties between the two countries in the future.

Putin said: “Time will show how it will develop, but we won’t rule it out.

According to Statista, the Chinese currently have the largest military in the world, with two million active servicemen.

The United States has the third-largest number of military personnel, with about 1.4 million active men and women, while Russia has 850,000 men and women, the fifth-largest.

Meanwhile, in 2021, China’s military spending was estimated at £192bn, more than four times that of Russia, but significantly less than the US defense budget of £592bn.

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There have been suggestions that China’s stance on invading Russia might change.

China yesterday refused to supply Russian airlines with aircraft parts, according to an official with Russia’s aviation authority.

Russian media claimed that Putin would instead seek to source planes from countries like Turkey and India.

China also called Putin’s attack on Ukraine a “war” for the first time on Thursday, as the country previously shunned any language that might stand against Russia.

During a video conference on Thursday, Wang said: “We hope to see the fighting and the war stop as soon as possible.”

This week, the CIA chief also claimed that Xi had been “disturbed” by Russia’s difficulties in invading Ukraine, and how Putin’s conflict has brought the West closer together.

CIA Director William Burns suggested that Putin’s struggle may have had “an impact on Chinese reckoning”.

Mr Burns told a Congressional hearing on global threats: “I think [China] have been surprised and disturbed by what they have seen in Ukraine over the past 12 days – everything from the strength of Western reaction to how fiercely Ukrainians have resisted.

“I think they’re a bit worried about the impact on the global economy.

“And thirdly, I think they are a bit disturbed by the way Vladimir Putin has brought Europeans and Americans together.

“[China] had not anticipated the major difficulties that the Russians were going to encounter.