Putin surprisingly reveals China’s ‘concerns’ over Ukraine at summit

The meeting came during Xi’s first trip outside China since the beginning of the pandemic

Vladimir Putin has hinted at frictions in Russia’s relations with China by publicly admitting Beijing has “questions and concerns” about Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, which has suffered devastating setbacks in recent days.

Speaking at a high-level summit in Uzbekistan, Mr Putin surprisingly acknowledged potential disharmony with Xi Jinping in his first face-to-face meeting with the Chinese leader since Russia’s invasion in February.

“We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis,” the Russian president told Xi at their first meeting since the war began.