During the meeting with Xi, Putin praises China for its ‘balanced position’ in the context of the war in Ukraine

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Putin thanked Xi for China’s “balanced stance” on the war in Ukraine. Xi pointed this out China be ready to cooperate with Russia.

China has not publicly supported the Russian invasion, but has steadily expanded trade and other links with Moscow since its inception. The meeting of the leaders of the two countries at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is taking place at a crucial moment, when Russian troops in Ukraine have lost previously occupied territories in recent days.

In their last meeting in February when Putin went to Beijing At the Winter Olympics, at the invitation of Xi, the two tried to assert their close ties, saying they share a friendship “without limits”. A few days later, Russia invaded Ukraine, resulting in international condemnation and sanctions against Moscow, and Sino-Russian relations were in the spotlight. Since then, Beijing has called for an end to hostilities and stressed the importance of sovereignty. However, he also consistently refused to call the war an invasion of Russia.

In recent weeks, China has sent troops to take part in joint military exercises with Russia. Senior officials have also been sent to Moscow to confirm close ties.

Uzbekistan during the meeting, Putin said he understood that Xi had questions and concerns about the situation in Ukraine, but at the same time he praised the Chinese leader for what he called a “balanced position” on the issue of war.

In their first meeting after the war, Xi said he was very happy to meet his “old friend” again. In the continuation of the Chinese meeting, Ukraine was no longer mentioned and China indicated that it was ready to provide firm support to Russia in matters relating to its core interests, the “Reuters” broadcaster reported. However, Beijing is concerned about the impact on the global economy and has been careful not to provide material support to Russia, which could trigger Western sanctions on the Chinese economy.

On the other hand, Putin clearly supported China in relation to Taiwan. “We will strictly adhere to the ‘one China’ principle,” Putin said. “We condemn ASV and their satellite provocations Taiwan in the strait ».

As the West seeks to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, Putin is seeking to increase energy exports to China and Asia, possibly through a pipeline through Mongolia. Summit with Xi and Putin Mongolia the president has indicated that he supports the construction of oil and gas pipelines from Russia to China via Mongolia.

It will transport 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year, about a third of what Russia normally sells to Europe, or the equivalent of one year of Nord Stream.

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