Xi Jinping says China-Russia “prospects will be even brighter” after Putin meeting

At a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed optimism about the future of their countries’ relationship, telling Putin he was pleased to see him and that bilateral ties had grown stronger. Putin said cooperation was advancing well. Their talks came as the regional bloc marked its 25th anniversary, with leaders including Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, India’s Narendra Modi, and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif gathering amid the Ukraine and Iran conflicts and US trade measures. Russia has become increasingly reliant on China during its invasion of Ukraine, and Western nations have urged Beijing to press Moscow to end the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine was only touched on briefly.