Russian President Vladimir Putin met Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a regional summit in Uzbekistan. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement after the meeting made no mention of the word “Ukraine,” but Putin said Xi told him that Russia needs to “demonstrate the responsibility of a major country to play a leading role and inject stability into a turbulent world.” Putin hinted at strains in the Russian-Chinese relationship by referring to President Xi’s “questions and concerns” about Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin: “We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis. We understand your questions and your concern about this. During today’s meeting, we will of course explain our position.”

Putin also pledged Russian support for China’s territorial claim on Taiwan. The Xi-Putin summit was their first face-to-face meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. It was also President Xi’s first trip outside of China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.