Kremlin outlines Putin’s key meetings with world leaders in China

ISTANBUL

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with his Chinese, Turkish, Serbian, Iranian, and Uzbek counterparts, Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Aleksandar Vucic, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, respectively, as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his upcoming visit to China, the Kremlin said.

Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the meetings will take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin and anniversary events in Beijing between Aug. 31 and Sept. 3.

He said Putin and Xi will hold both expanded and narrow-format talks “over a cup of tea,” focusing on relations with the US and the conflict in Ukraine. Russian Prime Minister Andrey Belousov will attend the restricted talks.

According to Ushakov, Moscow is considering a bilateral meeting between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in China.

He confirmed that, while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will also be in Beijing, no bilateral talks are scheduled. US President Donald Trump is not one of the guests invited.

The Kremlin aide also announced a planned trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, China, and Mongolia.

Putin will be accompanied by three deputy prime ministers, over 10 ministers, state corporation chiefs, and prominent business leaders.

After completing his China program, Putin will travel to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be attended by representatives from more than 70 countries, including the prime ministers of Laos and Mongolia, as well as a senior Chinese Communist Party official.

Putin and Xi Jinping last met in Beijing in May at the Belt and Road Forum, where they discussed global and regional issues.