Kremlin says Putin-Xi held ‘detailed’ talks ahead of SCO summit in China

ISTANBUL

The Kremlin said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a “detailed” conversation ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

“Yes, our president, first of all, communicated in great detail, of course, with the President of the PRC (People’s Republic of China). They sat together and were able to talk actively, very effectively,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.

Ushakov noted that Putin told him the content of his discussion with Xi included the latest contacts between Russia and the US.

The Russian president arrived in China earlier Sunday as part of a four-day visit to the country, during which he is set to participate in the 25th SCO Heads of State Council meeting.

Putin is also set to hold various talks on the sidelines of the event, as well as attend ceremonial events in the Chinese capital dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II. China is scheduled to hold a parade at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday.

Beijing officially refers to the 1937-1945 period as the "War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression" and considers it a crucial part of the broader "World Anti-Fascist War."

During his conversation with journalists, Ushakov additionally noted that Putin and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, who also arrived in Tianjin for the SCO summit, have not yet met ahead of the event.

"But members of the Russian delegation actively communicated with colleagues from Azerbaijan,” Ushakov went on to say.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also spoke to reporters in Tianjin later in the day, saying Putin and Xi had their "long" conversation during a banquet held to welcome international guests set to attend the SCO summit.

Peskov further touched on the topic of a potential meeting between Putin and Aliyev, saying the Russian side hopes the two leaders will have the opportunity to meet on the sidelines of the summit on Monday.

The Kremlin spokesman went on to describe a meeting between Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held earlier Sunday as "good and lengthy."

He added that Putin further agreed on additional bilateral meetings with various heads of state and government at the banquet.