Putin and Xi reaffirm strategic partnership at SCO summit
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping said their bilateral ties remain strong despite growing global uncertainty during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Bishkek.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and reiterated the strength of their strategic partnership. Xi told Putin he was "happy" to meet again and said the relationship between Beijing and Moscow has become "more solid" and faces "even brighter" prospects, while acknowledging increased uncertainty in the international order. > "Cooperation is successfully developing on all fronts," Putin added.
The two-day summit, marking the SCO's 25th anniversary, gathered more than a dozen heads of state, including leaders from Iran, India, Pakistan and Turkey. While Russia faces Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine, its economy has grown increasingly reliant on China, prompting calls for Beijing to pressure Moscow to end the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the leaders mainly discussed economic issues and only mentioned the Ukraine war briefly.
Other notable meetings at the summit included Putin's talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed readiness to work toward an end to the Ukraine conflict, and discussions with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who emphasized that continued war does not serve Iran's interests. The SCO now comprises ten member states, fifteen dialogue partners and two observers, representing roughly 40% of the world’s population and 25% of global GDP.