Putin’s visit to China and the SCO summit: As it happened
Russian President Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his four-day visit to China, during which he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and met with global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
Russia’s president also attended China’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of imperial Japan’s defeat in World War II. Putin’s discussions centered on energy, trade, regional issues, and strengthening bilateral ties. In total, Putin has held full-fledged meetings with 17 world leaders, having worked a total of 48 hours, according to TASS estimates.
During the visit, which came amid tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing signed more than 20 agreements on wide-ranging cooperation, including a major deal to build the Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline.
At the end of his visit, Putin held a wide-ranging press conference during which he proclaimed that the unipolar world order, which he called “obsolete,” is unfair and should yield its place to a multipolar one where all nations would enjoy equal rights.
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03 September 2025
15:12 GMTThe unipolar world is unfair, Putin has asserted. “The unipolar world must cease to exist, which would also be in the interest of those nations whose leadership is still defending this obsolete system.”
- 15:08 GMT
There are no preparations underway for a Putin-Trump summit in Moscow, the Russian president has said, adding that his invitation to the US leader “is still on the table.”
- 15:07 GMT
The vast majority of Russian frontline servicemembers want Moscow to accomplish all the goals that were set out when the special military operation began, Putin has said. “All the rest is secondary. The best way to do so is by peaceful means. We will see how it will continue to unfold”.
- 15:05 GMT
Not a single global leader who came to China voiced a negative opinion about the US administration, Putin has said. “All of the people I spoke with supported the meeting we had in Anchorage. They all expressed hope that the positions held by Trump and Russia will lead to a resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”
The Russian leader also stressed that the activities of the SCO members “are not aimed against anyone but rather at finding better ways of developing our own countries.”
- 15:04 GMT
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is accurately relaying Russia’s stance on the Ukraine conflict to his boss, Putin has said, adding that the same goes for him communicating Washington’s position to Moscow.
The Russian leader suggested that some criticism aimed at Witkoff by Western media stems from a dislike of the US stance on the conflict rather than genuine concern regarding potential miscommunication.
“There could be different approaches to the settlement. There are those seeking to fight until the last Ukrainian. And there are those seeking a solution by peaceful means. The party of war always attacks the party of peace. The rest is just speculation.”
- 14:49 GMT
Russia is ready to raise the level of the delegation engaged in talks with Ukraine, Putin has said, while declining to name top-level officials that could join the team. “It is the result that is important,” he stressed.
- 14:38 GMT
Ukraine’s military capabilities are now at a critically low level, Putin has said, adding that Kiev has no spare forces to mount a large-scale operation and only has the capacity to patch up its crumbling defenses.
- 14:34 GMT
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Putin said, replying to the question of whether the Ukraine conflict could be over soon. In this regard, he underscored active US efforts to find a solution to the crisis.
However, if no diplomatic solution is found, “we will have to reach all the goals through arms,” Putin added.
- 14:27 GMT
Putin responded to comments by Friedrich Merz, who earlier labeled him a “war criminal,” by suggesting the German Chancellor was unsuccessfully trying to “relieve the collective West from the responsibility for the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine.”
- 14:22 GMT
The multipolar world order is already taking shape, Putin has said, adding that this does not mean that the globe will be dominated by several hegemons. “All those taking part in international diplomacy should have equal rights,” he stated.
Putin acknowledged that there are economic giants such as India and China, but that does not mean that any country should dominate all others in a particular sphere.
