Vladimir Putin said he understood the concerns Chinese President Xi Jinping has regarding Russia's vicious war in Ukraine, while Xi referred to him as an "old friend".
The Russian leader said Xi had approached him with a "balanced" view on the conflict that has seen thousands of people killed including innocent civilians.
The two met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and the Kremlin leader said China was "willing to work with Russia to demonstrate the responsibility of big powers".
