A summit between the two leaders, expected to take place on the day of the Opening Ceremony, comes at a pivotal moment for both sides, as the massing of Russian troops at the border with Ukraine fuels fears of an imminent invasion -- an event that would be sure to overshadow China's Olympic moment. The face-to-face will also add a new milestone in what has become an increasingly close partnershipbetween Beijing and Moscow, as relations with the West deteriorate for both.
Putin is among a small group of world leaders to attend the Games, with Western governments including the United States, Britain and Australia, having declared a diplomatic boycott over China's human rights record. Other leaders have turned down invitations, citing Beijing's stringent Covid-19 controls.
This means Beijing 2022 will cut a sharp contrast to the city's 2008 Summer Games, when then-US President George Bush and other Western leaders were pictured glad-handing Chinese officials while cheering on their national teams.
Putin is among a small group of world leaders to attend the Games, with Western governments including the United States, Britain and Australia, having declared a diplomatic boycott over China's human rights record. Other leaders have turned down invitations, citing Beijing's stringent Covid-19 controls.
This means Beijing 2022 will cut a sharp contrast to the city's 2008 Summer Games, when then-US President George Bush and other Western leaders were pictured glad-handing Chinese officials while cheering on their national teams.
