Putin and Xi Reaffirm Russia-China Alliance at SCO Summit
Xi told Putin the relationship between Beijing and Moscow had grown steadier even as global affairs have become harder to predict.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) are seen during the official welcoming ceremony and introduction of delegations ahead of a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on May 20, 2026. Photo by Anadolu Images.
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ussian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping used their first face-to-face meeting since May to underscore the strength of their partnership, gathering on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Xi told Putin the relationship between Beijing and Moscow had grown steadier even as global affairs have become harder to predict, while Putin responded that cooperation between the two countries was advancing well across the board. China has continued to deny providing material backing for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
The two-day gathering in Bishkek marks the SCO’s 25th anniversary and has drawn more than a dozen heads of state, including Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, India’s Narendra Modi, Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan attending as a dialogue partner. The event unfolds against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now past its four-and-a-half-year mark, and the six-month-old war between the United States and Iran. Putin and Xi have historically used the summit as a platform to project the idea of a multipolar global order and to signal unity against Western influence. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Putin-Xi conversation centered mainly on economic matters, with Ukraine coming up only briefly.
Putin also sat down separately with Modi, and the two arrived together for their talks. Modi said India stood ready to help bring the Ukraine conflict to a close, while Putin said Moscow was moving toward a resolution without offering specifics. Separately, peace negotiations mediated by Washington remain at a standstill, though CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly traveled to Moscow for discussions last week.
Iran’s Pezeshkian signals openness to de-escalation
Putin was also set to meet separately with Pezeshkian, whose country has strengthened military and economic cooperation with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began, including supplying drones for Moscow’s campaign. Both Russia and Iran remain among the most heavily sanctioned nations globally. Trump has cautioned both Moscow and Beijing against arming Tehran, and US officials reportedly used Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit to reinforce that warning alongside discussions on Ukraine.
Speaking in Bishkek shortly after the first exchange of fire between the US and Iran in weeks, Pezeshkian told Modi that Tehran remained committed to seeking a diplomatic resolution rather than prolonging the conflict. Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian, Modi and Sharif were expected to join a plenary session led by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov. Beyond its 10 full members, the SCO now counts 15 dialogue partners, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, plus observer states Afghanistan and Mongolia — a bloc that represents roughly 40 percent of the world’s population and a quarter of global GDP, despite ongoing disagreements among its members.
(Source: Aljazeera English)
