Putin And Xi To Discuss Ukraine And Taiwan Kremlin Says

This content was created in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine

MOSCOW, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping will discuss Ukraine and Taiwan at a meeting in Uzbekistan on Thursday, which the Kremlin says will be of “special importance” given the geopolitical situation. Xi will leave China for the first time in more than two years for a trip this week to Central Asia, where he will meet Putin, just a month before cementing his position as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. read more “The presidents will discuss both the bilateral agenda and the main regional and international issues,” Kremlin aide Yuri Usakov told a briefing in Moscow. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “Of course, they will give a positive assessment of the unprecedentedly high level of trust in the framework of the bilateral strategic partnership,” he added. The deepening “borderless” partnership between rising superpower China and natural resources titan Russia is a geopolitical development the West is watching anxiously. The meeting will give Xi a chance to underline his influence, while Putin can show Russia’s tilt toward Asia. Both leaders can show their opposition to the United States just as the West seeks to punish Russia for what Moscow calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, trade turnover between the countries increased to $140 billion in 2021, while for the first seven months of this year it totaled almost $93. China is the largest buyer of Russia’s oil, one of the main sources of revenue for Moscow’s state coffers. Russia is also trying to boost its gas sales to China and build new pipelines to the country, as gas supplies to Europe have been severely curtailed amid the conflict over Ukraine. Usakov said Moscow appreciated China’s position on what he called the “Ukraine crisis”, saying Beijing had achieved a “balanced approach” to the conflict. China “clearly understands the reasons that forced Russia to launch its special military operation. This issue, of course, will be thoroughly discussed at the upcoming meeting,” Ushakov said. The meeting between Xi and Putin in Uzbekistan will take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Usakov said no new energy deals with China are expected to be signed in Uzbekistan. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Vladimir Soldatkin. edited by Guy Faulconbridge Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.