But cracks in summit solidarity quickly appeared, with India’s prime minister telling Putin it was “not the time” for the conflict in Ukraine and the forces of two countries — Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — engaged in fierce border clashes while their leaders were in attendance.
The meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan brought Putin and Xi together with the leaders of SCO members India, Pakistan, and four Central Asian nations, as well as the presidents of Iran and Turkey.
Putin and Xi met on Thursday for their first face-to-face talks since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February, and on the Chinese leader’s first trip abroad since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
The summit was put forward by the Kremlin as an alternative to “Western-centric organisations”, at a time of increasing pressure on Moscow over Ukraine and growing anger in Beijing over US support for Taiwan.
Xi told the gathered leaders it was time to reshape the international system and “abandon zero-sum games and bloc politics”.
They should “work together to promote the development of the international order in a more just and rational direction,” Xi told a joint session.
Putin hailed the increasing influence of countries outside the West, slamming what he called “instruments of protectionism, illegal sanctions and economic selfishness”.
“The growing role of new centres of power who cooperate with each other… is becoming more and more clear,” Putin said.
– Putin admits ‘concerns’ –
The summit has been Putin’s first major international outing since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February, sparking a conflict that has left thousands dead and seen Russia hit with waves of economic sanctions.
All did not go perfectly for the Russian leader.
