Kremlin praises importance of Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping meeting in Samarkand

Amid tensions with the West, the Kremlin welcomed the importance of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned meeting this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the two leaders were scheduled to meet on Thursday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of a summit on a security pact dominated by Moscow and Beijing.

“Given the current international situation, this meeting is of special significance,” Ushakov told reporters that Putin and Xi Jinping will discuss the international situation, regional issues and bilateral cooperation.

China has explicitly rejected criticism of Russia’s actions in Ukraine and condemned Western sanctions against Moscow.

Russia, in turn, has strongly backed China amid tensions with the U.S. following a recent visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“China has taken a balanced approach to the Ukraine crisis, clearly expressing its understanding of what prompted Russia to launch a special military operation,” Ushakov said.

“This issue will be discussed thoroughly during the meeting.”

The talks followed a meeting in February, when the Russian leader attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics shortly before sending troops into Ukraine.

Mr. Ushakov noted that “it is particularly important to discuss issues related to trade and economic cooperation”, adding that “in the difficult conditions of illegal Western sanctions, this cooperation has remained stable and continued to pick up pace.”

On Friday, Putin and Xi will attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security group dominated by Russia and China that also includes India, Pakistan and the former Soviet Central Asian countries.

Iran and some other countries are expected to become members.

The two leaders have forged a strong personal relationship to strengthen a “strategic partnership” between their former communist rivals, as they are both now locked in competition with the United States.

While Moscow and Beijing have ruled out a military alliance in the past, Mr Putin said the prospect could not be ruled out.

In a show of military prowess amid tensions with the West, Russia and China have held joint military exercises in Russia and the Sea of ​​Japan, with the participation of several other countries.