Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit on May 31, 2026, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, marking their first meeting since May of the previous year. ^[1] Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss maintaining economic ties and diplomatic support amidst global conflicts. ^[2] Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on September 1 that Chinese authorities are ready to advance comprehensive cooperation with Russia. ^[3] Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on August 31, 2026, but no new progress was made on the Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline project. ^[4] The leaders agreed to expand cooperation in railways, energy, and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors. ^[5] The summit took place during the fifth year of Russia's war in Ukraine, a conflict that has placed Russia in an economic disadvantage relative to the West. ^[6] Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the discussion superficially touched upon the topic of the Ukraine crisis, a term Moscow uses to refer to its invasion of Ukraine. ^[7] Putin said that Russia is ready to introduce a permanent visa-free travel regime with China if Beijing agrees, noting the current arrangement expires in December 2027. ^[8] Reuters reported that over 200 Russian military personnel were secretly trained in China in 2025, indicating evidence of military cooperation between the two countries. ^[9] President Putin stated that Russia-China cooperation is successfully developing in all fields and expressed readiness to permanently extend the visa-free regime between the two countries. ^[10] Putin and Xi agreed to strengthen energy cooperation, with the 'Power of Siberia 2' gas pipeline project being a major agenda item. ^[11] The leaders discussed the wars in Ukraine and Iran as part of international and regional situations during the summit. ^[12]