Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expressed concerns over the country’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Putin and Xi met face-to-face in Samarkand, a city in southeastern Uzbekistan for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At their first face-to-face meeting since the war, Xi called Putin his “old friend” after Putin said attempts by the United States to create a unipolar world would fail.
“We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis,” Putin told Xi.
“We understand your questions and concern about this. During today’s meeting, we will of course explain our position.”
The Russian leader added that Russia is committed to the one-China principle and “condemned the provocations” of the United States in Taiwan.
When the two leaders met in February to declare the beginning of their “no limits” partnership, they were also signalling the start of a new alignment between two of the world’s most powerful countries.
China has refrained from condemning Russia’s operation against Ukraine or calling it an “invasion” in line with the Kremlin, which casts the war as “a special military operation”.
