White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said in comments on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hugging after their bilateral summit in Beijing earlier this week that "that's nice for them."
"No surprise that these two leaders continue to try to develop this burgeoning relationship, but they're also two leaders that don't have a long history of working together," Kirby said on Friday.
Kirby also said that China and Russia are allegedly acting toward the United States in ways that are inimical to Washington’s national security interests.
Putin was on an official visit to the Chinese cities of Beijing and Harbin from Thursday to Friday, in his first foreign trip after being reelected earlier in the month. On Thursday, Putin and Xi met in Beijing to discuss strategic cooperation, identify key areas to further develop relations and exchange views on the most acute international and regional issues.
Later on Thursday, China and Russia released a joint statement in which they condemned the deployment of US missile systems in the Asia-Pacific and in Europe, and described this move as a threat to the security of both countries. They also voiced concerns about the United States' attempts to create a global missile shield and deploy its elements across the globe, as well as in space.
In addition, the two countries urged the United States to stop putting the security of "small groups" of countries above regional security.
On Thursday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that the Biden administration did not find anything new in the joint statement.