Putin and Xi begin talks in Kyrgyzstan during SCO summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leader of the aggressor state, and Chinese President Xi Jinping began talks in Bishkek on Monday during a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Around a dozen other heads of state also arrived for the event.
As The Korea Herald reports, the summit participants include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This year, the SCO marks its 25th anniversary.
Leaders' statements
Xi told Putin that he was pleased to meet with him and that ties between China and Russia had become stronger and had good prospects. He also noted growing uncertainty and unpredictability in the international order.
Putin said that cooperation between the two countries was developing successfully in all areas. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that the leaders touched only briefly on the subject of Russia's war against Ukraine. Western countries have called on Beijing to influence Moscow so that it stops its offensive.
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Meetings with Modi and Pezeshkian
Putin also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the publication, both leaders arrived for the talks in the same car. Putin stated that Moscow was moving along the path toward settling the war against Ukraine, without specifying details. US-mediated peace talks remain without progress.
Separate talks between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were expected later. Russia and Iran have significantly deepened their military and economic ties since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Pezeshkian told Modi that Tehran seeks an agreement and considers the continuation of the war disadvantageous for neither Iran nor the region.
The SCO has 10 member states, 15 dialogue partners, and two observer states — Afghanistan and Mongolia. The organisation says it represents about 40% of the world's population and 25% of global GDP.
