Putin meets Xi for second time since May as leaders hail ties

ASTANA – President Vladimir Putin trumpeted Russia’s “fully fledged partnership” with China as he met Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the second time in less than two months, highlighting Moscow’s deepening embrace of Beijing.

Russo-Chinese ties “are at their best in history”, Mr Putin said at a meeting on the

sidelines of a security summit on July 3 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

“They’re built on equality, mutual benefit and respect for each other’s sovereignty.”

Mr Xi said: “My dear friend, I am very happy at our new meeting.” 

China and Russia should continue to strengthen strategic coordination and oppose external interference, Mr Xi also said, according to a read-out from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

He added that China supports Russia in fulfilling its duties as the rotating chair of Brics, uniting the Global South nations, preventing a “new Cold War”, and opposing “illegal unilateral sanctions and hegemony”.

On Ukraine, Mr Xi reiterated that China is “always on the right side of history” and is willing to make positive efforts to promote peace talks and political resolution.

Since both leaders last sat down in May, the Russian President has been strengthening his partnerships around Asia. Mr Putin made his first trip to North Korea in 24 years in June, signing an agreement with Mr Kim Jong Un for both countries to come to each other’s aid if attacked.

Mr Kim also pledged to “unconditionally support” Russia in its war in Ukraine.

Mr Putin followed that with a visit to Vietnam, where he said Moscow was considering changing its nuclear doctrine in response to talks in the West about “lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons”. Russia recently held combat drills to practise the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

The Russian leader’s threats to use nuclear weapons since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine have drawn condemnation from the US and his Nato allies. Mr Xi, too, has warned against resorting to nuclear weapons.

China and Russia have united in a mission to counter the US,

as both nations face growing scrutiny from the West over their military goals. Their leaders have responded by pushing to broaden groups in which they have more sway. The Brics bloc of emerging-market nations doubled in 2024, welcoming Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit is expected to see Belarus become the 10th member of the regional grouping set up by China, the SCO’s secretary-general Zhang Ming told Chinese media outlets on July 1. Iran joined in 2023. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed interest in joining the bloc and met Mr Putin earlier on July 3 at the summit. 

Mr Erdogan invited Mr Putin to Turkey and said Ankara is ready to assist in talks over ending the war in Ukraine. The Turkish leader told his Russian counterpart that “a fair peace that can satisfy both sides is possible”, a Turkish government statement said.

The meeting between the two leaders was the first since Turkey approved Sweden’s entry into Nato earlier in 2024, a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and comes ahead of Mr Erdogan’s participation in a summit of the alliance’s leaders in Washington next week.

At an event in Beijing last week, Mr Xi stressed the importance for Global South nations to exert greater influence on international affairs. Developing nations “need to work together to be a stabilising force for peace”, he said.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a regular briefing on July 1 that the SCO had “become a fine example of a new type of international relations and regional cooperation”.

Beijing hopes the summit will “contribute to the security, stability, development and prosperity of all countries”, she added.

China will take over the SCO’s rotating presidency after the summit in Astana. Mr Xi will also visit Tajikistan this week. Bloomberg