Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet next week in Uzbekistan for talks that could signal warming relations between two powers that are increasingly facing off against the West. The meeting at a political, economic and security forum comes at delicate times for both leaders, and it would be their second face-to-face talk this year. Putin is dealing with the economic and political fallout of his war in Ukraine that has left Russia more isolated — and defiant. Xi faces rising tensions with the West over the status of Taiwan, and China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups.
Putin and Xi plan to meet again, as relations with West fray
