FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders’ summit in Samarkand. (Photo by Alexandr Demyanchuk / SPUTNIK / AFP)

This combination of pictures created on September 15, 2022 shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders’ summit in Samarkand. (Photo by Alexandr Demyanchuk / SPUTNIK / AFP)