Putin arrives in Uzbekistan for meeting with Xi

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Thursday for a summit of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization, led by China and Russia.

Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were due to meet one-on-one and discuss Ukraine. Beijing and Moscow see the SCO as a counterweight to US alliances in East Asia.Other SCO governments include India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan, with Iran and Afghanistan acting as observers.