Claim
The Kremlin later claimed the war against Ukraine came up only 'as a refrain' during the Putin-Xi talks, with the focus mainly on bilateral relations
Attributed to The Kremlin
Evidence
A search turned up a report from Ukrainska Pravda (pravda.com.ua, English edition) dated August 31 stating that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Xi Jinping discussed the war against Ukraine only in passing, describing it as coming up 'as a refrain,' while the two leaders mainly focused on bilateral relations, particularly trade and economic cooperation. The article includes a direct quote attributed to Peskov matching the claim closely. A follow-up search to find corroboration from Reuters, TASS, or AFP Fact Check was blocked by a search tool rate limit, so independent confirmation beyond this one outlet could not be obtained in this session.
Supporting sources
Assessment
One credible news outlet (Ukrainska Pravda) directly quotes Peskov making this exact statement, which strongly supports the claim, but I was unable to cross-verify with a second independent source (e.g., Reuters, TASS, AFP) due to a search tool limitation, so full corroboration is incomplete.
Confidence
Some independent corroboration was found, but it isn't yet conclusive.
Timeline
Sep 1, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC
LikelyInitial assessment.
First observed Sep 1, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC · Last reviewed Sep 1, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC