Bishkek, Aug. 31 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

In a post on X, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the two leaders held a bilateral meeting.

"On August 31, President of Russia Vladimir Putin & President of China Xi Jinping held a meeting in Bishkek," the Ministry said.

President Putin said at the meeting that his country is ready to work with China to make the bilateral visa-free regime permanent if Beijing considers this possible and useful, according to Russian News Agency TASS.

"We are ready to work together to make the visa-free regime permanent if the Chinese si...