Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping said they oppose U.S. “military intimidation” of North Korea, which “may lead to armed conflict.”

Moscow and Beijing made the remarks in a joint statement at the end of Putin’s visit to China on Thursday. The two countries called on the U.S. to “abandon intimidation, sanctions and suppression” on the same day as the U.S. and South Korea kicked off joint air drills. 

On Thursday, two ROK F-35A fighter jets and two U.S. F-22s performed drills over central South Korea. The exercise marked the first time South Korean F-35As “conducted basic combat maneuvers training with