JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he could understand his colleague, Chinese President Xi Jinping had questions and concerns about the situation in Ukraine, but praised the Chinese leader for what he said was a'sequivalent' position in the conflict.
In addition to killing tens of thousands of people and forcing millions more to flee, Russia-Ukraine's war has an impact on the global economy, particularly rising food and energy prices.
At their first face-to-face meeting since the war, President Xi said he was excited to meet 'old friend', again after President Putin said US efforts to create a unipolar world would fail.
"We really appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in terms of the Ukraine crisis," President Putin told President Xi. President Putin and President Xi's meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
"We understand your questions and concerns about this. In today's meeting, we will certainly explain our position, we will explain in detail our position on the matter, although we have discussed this before," he explained.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters the closed talks were going very well.
"Our assessment of the international situation really coincides, not at all," he said.
"We will continue to coordinate our actions, including the upcoming UN General Assembly," he said.
Meanwhile, President Xi himself did not mention Ukraine in his public remarks.
Separately, state television controlled by the Chinese Communist Party CCTV reported that Beijing is willing to provide strong support to Russia for matters relating to its core interests.
China is known to refrain from condemning Russia's operations against Ukraine or calling it an invasion, in line with the Kremlin which calls the war a special military operation.
The last time President Xi and Putin met in person, just weeks before the February 24 invasion, declared an unlimited partnership and signed a pledge to collaborate more against the West.
"China is willing to cooperate with Russia to play a major role in demonstrating the responsibility of major countries, and to instill positive stability and energy into a chaotic world," President Xi told President Putin.
It is known, since becoming President of China in 2013, Xi has met President Putin 39 times. Meanwhile, he has not met US President Joe Biden since his inauguration in January 2021.
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