Putin holds talks with Serbian and Pakistani leaders in China: Live Updates
Putin holds bilateral talks in China: Live Updates
(about 3 hours later)
The Russian leader has met with Aleksandar Vucic and Shehbaz Sharif during his four-day visit to China
The Russian leader has met with the leaders of China, Serbia, Slovakia, Mongolia, Belarus, Pakistan and Uzbekistan during a four-day visit to China
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. During the talks with Sharif, Putin said Pakistan “has been and remains our partner,” and invited the prime minister to visit Russia in November for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization heads of government meeting.
Following a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Beijing on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin has held a series of bilateral talks with the leaders of China, Mongolia, Slovakia, Pakistan, Serbia, Uzbekistan and Belarus. The discussions touched on energy, trade, regional issues, and ties with Russia.
Sharif said relations between the two countries have “improved over the past many years” thanks to Putin’s “personal commitment” and “personal interest.”
Moscow and Beijing both described each other as strategic partners and pledged to deepen cooperation “without limits” across multiple fields, including security, tech, finance, and research. China remains Russia’s largest trade partner.
Putin and Serbian President Vucic had previously met in Moscow on May 9 as part of the Victory Day celebrations. During the meeting in Beijing, Putin stressed that cooperation between Russia and Serbia benefits both countries, adding that Moscow respects Belgrade’s independent foreign policy course. Vucic acknowledged that Serbia has faced significant pressure since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, but said Belgrade maintains a principled position on rejecting sanctions against Russia.
Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic called Putin a “dear friend” and said they discussed energy and defense cooperation. Slovakia’s Robert Fico wrote that his one-hour meeting with Putin focused on the Ukraine conflict and that he would relay Putin’s messages to Vladimir Zelensky in Uzhgorod on Friday.
Serbia remains one of the few European countries that has refused to impose sanctions on Russia or openly back Ukraine. Vucic previously said the EU continues to pressure Serbia to abandon its neutrality and sever ties with Moscow.
On Tuesday, Putin also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Moscow and Beijing both described each other as strategic partners and pledged to deepen cooperation “without limits” across multiple fields, including security, tech, finance, and research. China remains Russia’s largest trade partner.
Putin’s talks with Fico covered energy security, infrastructure, bilateral relations, and Ukraine’s NATO and EU membership ambitions. The Russian president is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
