Locked in standoffs with the U.S., Russia and China show a united front as Putin meets Xi in Beijing

Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Beijing on Friday to attend the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, but also to meet with China's leader, Xi Jinping. China and Russia have grown much closer in recent years as they've become more estranged from the West, and more at odds with the U.S.

The two leaders met just days after Putin dug his heels in more deeply in his high-stakes standoff with the U.S. and NATO over Moscow's buildup of troops and weapons along Ukraine's borders.

The U.S. accused Putin on Thursday of plotting a so-called "false-flag" operation in Ukraine, alleging that covert operatives were already in place and working to create a fake video depicting an attack that Russia could use as a pretext to invade its neighbor.