Amid growing global uncertainty, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China have pledged to further strengthen their countries’ strategic partnership.
The two leaders met Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan.
It was the two leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since May. Opening the talks, Xi said he was pleased to meet Putin again, that Beijing-Moscow bilateral relations had grown stronger, that the relationship held bright prospects ahead, and that this progress should continue.
Putin agreed, saying cooperation between the two countries was advancing successfully across all areas.
The two-day SCO summit is being held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, marking the 25th anniversary of the regional security and economic cooperation bloc.
More than a dozen heads of state and government are attending, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The summit comes four-and-a-half years after Russia launched its war in Ukraine, and six months after the US began its war in Iran.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, however, that the Putin-Xi talks focused mainly on the two countries’ economic relationship, with the Ukraine war coming up only in passing.
Modi also met Putin on the sidelines of the summit. When Modi expressed interest in working to end the Ukraine war, Putin said Moscow, too, was looking for a way to resolve the crisis.
Putin is also scheduled to hold a separate meeting with Iranian President Pezeshkian at the summit. Moscow-Tehran military ties have deepened since Iran began supplying drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Russia and China against supplying weapons to Iran.
Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian, Modi and Shehbaz are set to take part in the SCO’s plenary session, which will be chaired by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
Beyond its 10 member states, the SCO currently counts 15 partner countries, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status in the bloc.