Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The meeting will also be attended by the leaders of Iran and India.
Around a dozen heads of state are expected to gather in the Kyrgyz capital to mark the SCO’s 25th anniversary. The organization includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries and Moscow-allied Belarus.
Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West.
The summit comes four and a half years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and six months into the war between Washington and Tehran. Iran will be represented by President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to take part in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
According to Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov, Putin is also expected to hold separate meetings with Pezeshkian and Xi, as well as other leaders.
Russia and Iran, two of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries, have significantly strengthened their military and economic ties during the war in Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has warned Moscow and Beijing against providing weapons to Iran.
Putin’s meeting with Pezeshkian will come just days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare visit to Moscow. US media have speculated that he may have discussed Ukraine and Iran with Russian officials.
The SCO has traditionally focused on economic cooperation but has gained importance in recent years under the leadership of Russia and China.
In addition to its 10 members, the organization now has 15 “dialogue partners,” including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It also has two observer states: Afghanistan and Mongolia.
The SCO’s founding declaration says the group is “not an alliance directed against other states.” However, Putin and Xi have repeatedly made speeches critical of the West during its summits.
At last year’s summit, Putin accused Western countries of provoking the war in Ukraine, while Xi criticized what he described as “acts of intimidation” in reference to tensions between the United States and China.
