Putin and Xi treat themselves to pancakes, vodka shots and caviar after talks

President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping demonstrated their cooking skills on Tuesday after their talks in Russia's eastern city of Vladivostok.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (2-R) and China's President Xi Jinping (L) make pancakes as they visit the Far East Street exhibition in Russia. Source: Sputnik

Russian President Vladimir Putin has treated Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russian pancakes in a show of warm personal ties between the two leaders.

The two leaders ate pancakes with caviar and had shots of vodka at an exhibition at the sidelines of an economic forum in the far eastern port of Vladivostok.

Beijing and Moscow have developed a "strategic partnership" reflecting their shared opposition to the "unipolar" world, the term they use to describe perceived US global domination.

The rapprochement has been driven by a strong personal relationship between Putin and Xi, seen as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.

The two have met nearly 30 times, and Putin said that the Chinese president is the only world leader whom he once invited to celebrate his birthday.