Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed Ukraine during their meeting on Oct. 22 at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.
The BRICS alliance, a bloc of countries that now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, is convening in Kazan for a three-day summit from Oct. 22-24. According to Moscow, 36 world leaders are participating in the conference.
Putin and Xi reportedly spoke for about an hour, according to Russian state media. The leaders discussed Russia's war against Ukraine, the BRICS agenda, and bilateral relations.
"The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and the international situation is chaotic and intertwined," Xi said.
Xi and Putin during their meeting "outlined the main parameters of further contacts to continue the dialogue," according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Russia hopes to increase cooperation with China on "all international platforms," Putin said.
Xi and Putin concurred that the bilateral relations were at a historical highpoint, and jointly protect "regional tranquility and stability."
Although China officially maintains a neutral stance on Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine and denies providing lethal aid, Beijing and Moscow continue to strengthen their economic and political ties. At a previous meeting in Kazakhstan in July, Xi and Putin concurred that the bilateral relations were at a historic high point.
Chinese companies have been sanctioned by the U.S. for producing drones used in Russia's war. Various countries have accused China of aiding Russia by providing machine tools, weapons technology, satellite imagery, semiconductors, and other dual-use technologies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 17 that intelligence data indicates that "China is actively helping Russia drag out this war."
The Kyiv Independent news desk
