Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan on Monday.

The three national leaders will later attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian group of nations seeking to improve security and economic ties.

Originally a five-member regional group that included China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan which signed its first agreement in Shanghai, the SCO has since expanded to become the biggest regional organizations for cooperation. It includes ten permanent members, 15 dialogue partners and two observer states.

The group has a range of political, security and economic goals and has been called by its members a key mechanism in transition to a new multipolar world system, replacing the period of US unipolarity that followed the Cold War.

The SCO states say Western nations are engaging in increasingly hostile and disruptive activity as their global dominance slips away, and having a forum where other nations can agree on joint responses to new challenges becomes more important.

This live has now ended.

• 31 August 2026

  18:03 GMT

  According to the Tehran Times, de-dollarization is among the issues expected to be discussed at the SCO summit in Bishkek, with Iran pushing to reduce Western sanctions pressure and expand regional trade.

  The Islamic Republic has reportedly proposed a Shanghai Development Bank based on member states’ national currencies rather than the US dollar. Iranian lawmaker Hassan Qashqavi told the paper that dollar dominance remains a source of economic pressure on Tehran, but the country still has options.

• 17:30 GMT

  Putin has also met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Bishkek, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent.

  Talks are reportedly taking place at the Ala-Archa state residence, where the Russian leader is holding a series of meetings after arriving in Kyrgyzstan on Monday.

• 17:14 GMT

  Putin has met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games in Bishkek.

  The brief talks took place at Bishkek Arena, where both leaders attended the event as honorary guests.

• 16:43 GMT

  Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek, with the two leaders discussing mounting regional tensions.

  Sharif’s office said the two sides stressed the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad-brokered ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. The talks came after US and Iranian forces exchanged strikes on Sunday night for the first time since late July, amid renewed US economic pressure on Tehran.

  Meeting between the Prime Minister and the President of Iran on the sidelines of SCO CHS Meeting in Bishkek.

  Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with the President of Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian today, on the sidelines of SCO Council of… pic.twitter.com/liQazEaA1R

  — Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) August 31, 2026

• 16:19 GMT

  

  Rosatom considers cooperation within the SCO a top priority, CEO Aleksey Likhachev has told RT on the sidelines of the summit in Bishkek, outlining the Russian nuclear giant’s long-term plans within the group.

  Likhachev also said the next power unit at a Rosatom-built nuclear plant in China has entered the physical startup stage. Meanwhile, the company continues to work with African partners on personnel training, infrastructure development, and nuclear legislation.

• 16:18 GMT

  Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has thanked Putin for expressing readiness to host the 7th World Nomad Games in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan next year.

  Japarov said Bishkek was ready to provide support for the event “at the highest level.”

• 15:34 GMT

  More than 140 Russian athletes have taken part in the parade at the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games in Bishkek.

  Putin greeted the Russian team as they marched into Bishkek Arena.

• 15:21 GMT

  #WATCH | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets the Indian delegation participating in the VI World Nomad Games during the opening ceremony at Bishkek Arena

  India’s total delegation for this year’s edition comprises 87 participants, including 73 from sports, 10… pic.twitter.com/CP8BmLn8Cs

  — ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2026

  The opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games has kicked off at Bishkek Arena, Central Asia’s largest stadium, which is nearly at capacity for the event. Competitors from more than 100 countries are set to take part in traditional nomadic sports, including horseback riding, wrestling, archery, and falconry.

  Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled in the same car as they headed to the opening ceremony of the VI World Nomad Games at Bishkek Arena, following their bilateral meeting. pic.twitter.com/N1idp7i2Nu

  — ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2026

  Putin and Modi arrived at the stadium together in an Aurus limousine, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent. Spectators began gathering four to five hours before the ceremony, with local singers and dancers entertaining the crowds ahead of the main show.

• 15:19 GMT

  Putin told Modi that Moscow is making every effort to bring the ongoing hostilities in the Ukraine conflict to an end.

  The Russian president was responding to Modi’s call for a peaceful settlement. The Indian prime minister said New Delhi supports all efforts toward achieving peace, describing it as “essential for all humanity.”

• 15:00 GMT

  

  The number of Indian students coming to Russia has increased sevenfold in recent years, Putin has said.

  It ranks among the top countries from which people travel to study in Russia, he added.

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