Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet for the second time since May to showcase their alliance against the U.S. and its Western allies. The leaders will convene for the annual session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Kazakhstan, a group established in part to counter Western dominance.
Joining Xi, Putin, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the SCO conference will be leaders from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran's acting President Mohammad Mokhbar. Notably, India will be represented by its foreign minister instead of its national leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will also attend the meeting, marking Belarus as the 10th member nation of the SCO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a partner of the group, is expected to participate as well.
The gathering precedes the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, D.C., with Erdogan being the sole leader attending both high-level meetings. Erdogan, known for occasionally challenging the NATO alliance, has been involved in communication efforts with Russia amid the conflict in Europe and has offered to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv.
During the SCO session, Erdogan is anticipated to engage in further discussions with Putin, who has delayed visits to Turkey on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, India is navigating a delicate balance between its relationship with Russia and its Western alliances.
While Modi will miss this year's SCO conference due to parliamentary commitments, his recent participation in the G-7 summit has raised speculation about India's strategic positioning on the global stage.
Nations like Kazakhstan aim to strengthen economic and political ties with neighboring countries through the SCO conference. Putin is likely to leverage the meeting to demonstrate that Russia remains engaged with the international community despite facing Western sanctions and criticism over the conflict in Ukraine.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will also be present at the event to maintain dialogue with key global players.
