Ukraine and Taiwan to be discussed by Putin and Xi, says Kremlin

• Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will discuss Taiwan and Ukraine in Uzbekistan.
• The meeting comes just a month before Xi is scheduled to solidify his position as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.
• Russia’s top oil customer and one of the major sources of income for the government coffers in Moscow is China.

Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China will meet on Thursday in Uzbekistan to discuss Taiwan and Ukraine. The Kremlin stated that this meeting would be of “special significance” given the current geopolitical climate.

Just a month before he is scheduled to solidify his position as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, Xi will depart China for the first time in more than two years in order to travel to Central Asia where he will meet Putin.

“The presidents will discuss both the bilateral agenda and the main regional and international topics,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said at a briefing in Moscow.

“Naturally, they will give a positive assessment of the unprecedentedly high level of trust within the bilateral strategic partnership,” he added.

The growing “no limits” alliance between Russia, the world’s largest natural resource producer, and China, a rising superpower, is a geopolitical development that the West is closely monitoring.

Both leaders can show their opposition to the United States at a time when the West is trying to punish Russia for what Moscow refers to as a “special military operation” in Ukraine. The meeting will give Xi the chance to show off his influence while Putin can highlight Russia’s tilt towards Asia.

The Kremlin claims that trade between the nations increased and reached $140 billion in 2021, up from nearly $93 in the first seven months of this year.

Russia’s top oil customer and one of the major sources of income for the government coffers in Moscow is China.

As its gas supplies to Europe have been significantly reduced as a result of the dispute over Ukraine, Russia is also attempting to increase its gas sales to China and construct new pipelines to the country.

Ushakov asserted that Beijing has adopted a “balanced approach” to the conflict and that Moscow respects Beijing’s position on what he called the “Ukraine crisis.”

This topic will undoubtedly be thoroughly discussed during the upcoming meeting, Ushakov said, adding that China “clearly understands the reasons that forced Russia to launch its special military operation.”

At the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which will be held in the historic Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Xi and Putin will meet there.

No new energy agreements with China are anticipated to be signed in Uzbekistan, according to Ushakov.

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