Putin holds talks with Belarusian President in China: Live Updates

The Russian leader has met with Alexander Lukashenko during his four-day visit to China

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. During the talks with Sharif, Putin said Pakistan “has been and remains our partner,” and invited the prime minister to visit Russia in November for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization heads of government meeting.

Putin and Serbian President Vucic had previously met in Moscow on May 9 as part of the Victory Day celebrations. During the meeting in Beijing, Putin stressed that cooperation between Russia and Serbia benefits both countries, adding that Moscow respects Belgrade’s independent foreign policy course. Vucic acknowledged that Serbia has faced significant pressure since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, but said Belgrade maintains a principled position on rejecting sanctions against Russia.

On Tuesday, Putin also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Moscow and Beijing both described each other as strategic partners and pledged to deepen cooperation “without limits” across multiple fields, including security, tech, finance, and research. China remains Russia’s largest trade partner.

Putin’s talks with Fico covered energy security, infrastructure, bilateral relations, and Ukraine’s NATO and EU membership ambitions.