Putin meets his ally Chinese President Xi Jinping as they discuss Ukraine amid growing fears Russia is about to escalate war
Vladimir Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday as part of a two-day Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) summit, with the two leaders touching on Ukraine amid mounting concern that Russia could be preparing to escalate the war. The Kremlin said Ukraine was not the central focus of the talks, but the meeting comes as Putin is reportedly weighing a further intensification of the four-and-a-half-year conflict, and as he continues to publicly reject any suggestion that the "special military operation" is winding down.
The SCO, marking its 25th anniversary, brings together Russia, China, Iran, India, Pakistan, Belarus and four Central Asian states, and is also attended by Turkey's Erdogan, India's Modi, Iran's Pezeshkian and Pakistan's Sharif. Sources close to the Kremlin suggest Putin fears domestic backlash if he ends the war without securing at least the whole of Donbas, reportedly telling an associate "they will hang me" if he stops short. Putin was also due to hold separate talks with Iran's Pezeshkian, whose country remains embroiled in its own six-month conflict with the United States, days after a rare Moscow visit by CIA director John Ratcliffe.
- Putin and Xi met in Kyrgyzstan at the SCO summit, discussing Ukraine.
- Fears grow that Russia may escalate the war further.
- Putin reportedly fears backlash unless he secures the entire Donbas region.
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Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, and the fighting has continued for years. The Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, much of which Russia claims; control of the area has been a central issue in the war.
Vladimir Putin is Russia’s president, and Xi Jinping leads China. The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation is a group of countries that includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan and several Central Asian states; it provides a forum for discussing regional security and co-operation.
China has maintained close ties with Russia while calling for a political settlement in Ukraine. The relationship matters because China is a major international power, and its stance can affect diplomatic efforts and how other countries assess Russia’s position.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A defender of Russia’s position might argue that Putin has reason to seek Chinese backing and continue fighting if he believes a settlement that leaves Russia short of its stated aims would be unstable at home and fail to protect Russian interests. From this view, diplomacy with China and other SCO members could help contain the conflict or create leverage for negotiations, while reports of possible escalation do not by themselves establish what Russia intends to do.
The case against
Critics would argue that continuing or intensifying the invasion prolongs immense harm to Ukrainians and risks widening the conflict, while Moscow’s security claims do not justify overriding Ukraine’s sovereignty. They might also see Putin’s reported fear of domestic backlash as evidence that political survival, rather than a viable peace, is driving his refusal to wind down the war, and warn that Chinese engagement could lend support to that course.