Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a meeting in Beijing during Putin’s visit to China. This marked the Kremlin chief’s second appearance on the international stage in just two weeks and highlighted the growing alignment between Moscow and Beijing, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to TSN.ua.
On August 31, Putin arrived in the Chinese city of Tianjin, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit opened. Before departing, he said he hoped to gain further support from Xi Jinping amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and the confrontation with the West. The Chinese leader personally welcomed the Russian president. At the summit venue, the Russian song “Kalinka-Malinka” was played, while Chinese state media emphasized that ties between the two countries are at a “historic high.”
During the SCO summit on September 1, Putin claimed that the agreements reached in Alaska “open the path to peace in Ukraine.” He accused NATO and the West of causing the conflict, insisting that Russia adheres to principles of security for all states. On September 2, in a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in China, Putin repeated that Russia “never intended to attack” and that its only goal in Ukraine is to “defend its own interests.” He also asserted that Moscow allegedly never opposed Ukraine’s membership in the EU but objected to NATO’s “military expansion.”
Putin further revealed that he had discussed possible postwar security guarantees for Ukraine with Donald Trump in Alaska, suggesting that a consensus could be achieved, though stressing that Ukraine itself must decide how to secure its safety.
At the SCO forum in Tianjin, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin outlined their vision for a world order oriented toward the interests of the “Global South.” Xi urged for the “democratization of international relations,” resistance to “hegemonism,” and stronger roles for developing nations. While presenting these goals, he did not specify how exactly China intends to implement them. Analysts at Reuters noted that this rhetoric reflects Beijing’s bid to expand its global influence and challenge the U.S.-led governance system.
During bilateral talks in Beijing on September 2, Putin called Xi a “dear friend” and said that Russian-Chinese relations had reached an “unprecedented level.” In response, Xi underlined that ties between Moscow and Beijing had withstood major international challenges.
Earlier we wrote that Putin uses SCO summit to showcase China and India’s support.