Russia’s presidential office says President Vladimir Putin will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
Presidential aide Yury Ushakov announced on Tuesday that the two leaders will meet on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization being held in the Central Asian country.
It is believed that Russia hopes to reconfirm its cooperation with China amid the ongoing conflict with Europe and the United States over the situation in Ukraine.
The planned meeting between Putin and Xi will follow their talks in May, where they agreed to further strengthen their economic ties and expand the scale of joint military drills.
Last month, Putin visited North Korea and met with its leader Kim Jong Un. They signed a new treaty that specifies military support between the two countries in the event of an emergency.
Observers are waiting to see what kind of explanations Russia will provide to China, which has long been Pyongyang’s main backer.
Observers are also watching what kind of discussions member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will have on their stance counter to the framework led by Europe and the US.