nbc's janis mackey frayer is on the ground for us in beijing.ys ago the reporting that russia was receiving weapons from both iran and north korea. you couple that with this possibility of an even stronger alliance between both xi and putin with this meeting in mind. of course, xi's interest in taiwan, watching what plays out in ukraine, certainly troubling for the united states as they watch this. >> reporter: what was interesting about this meeting was the vibe, if we can call it that. these are two men who have met dozens of times. they have a personal relationship. but this really had the air of formality to it. it wasn't the warmth that we saw when they met here earlier this year, made the declaration about a friendship with no limits only to have russia invade ukraine a few weeks later. we know china has never publicly supported russia's war in ukraine, but it has never publicly condemned it. so when putin conceded this evening that he is aware that china has, quote, questions and concerns about the war in ukraine, it was a rare admission

janis mackey frayer is with us live now from beijing. good to see you.t sounded like putin didn't so much get support from xi on this invasion. >> reporter: well, both of these men are at odds with the west, and that's what keeps them strategically aligned. but arguably, vladimir putin has far more at stake, with this meeting, because he has so few places to turn right now, beyond his friend in china. xi jingping and vladimir putin have a personal relationship. they've met dozens of times, they declared that partnership without limits. since the invasion, china has not publicly condemned the war, nor has it publicly backed it. and so when putin conceded that he was aware that china has questions and concerns about the russian war, that was a very rare admission, that beijing is not likely to change its tact on russia's war, nor is it likely to offer russia the sort of material support or tactical support that it needs right now, as it is losing ground in ukraine. putin was pull of praise for who he called his old friend, where as xi jingping was far more

let's go to janis mackey frayer.out the meeting and what these two leaders discussed? >> reporter: this was a reunion between these two dozens of ti time had more of a formality than before. last time they met was here in beijing when they declared had partnership with no limits and then weeks later russia invaded ukraine. we know china has never outright supported russia in its war, but it hasn't gone so far as to condemn it either. and so when putin conceded that china had, quote, questions and concerns about the war in ukraine, it was a rare admission that suggests two things. first of all, that material support from beijing is not going to be unequivocal or guaranteed. and secondly, that beijing doesn't want to back a loser. this heating is coming at a crucial time for russia as it is losing ground in ukraine, giving up territory that it months capturing. so there is a sense that there might not be as much in this for putin as he had hoped. he did acknowledge china's balanced position on the war in ukraine. xi ji

. >>> joining me now from beijing is nbc news asia correspondent janis mackey frayer. is not entirely supportive of the war in ukraine. what did he say? >> well, both xi jingping and vladimir putin are at odds with the west, they're both facing isolation, but arguably, putin has more at stake with this meeting. remember, these two men are friends. they've met dozens of times. the last time they did, they started a partnership with no limits. >> china has never publicly condemned russia for the war in ukraine and hasn't publicly supported it either. so when putin conceded that china had questions and concerns about russia's war in ukraine, it was a very rare admission that beijing is not going to alter its tack on support for russia, nor is it going to offer the sort of material support that russia is looking for right now, as it is losing ground in ukraine. putin was full of praise for his old friend. he commended china's balanced position. xi jingping didn't say much. he spoke in generalizations. the chinese read-out was very detached and formal. china has been buying

joining us now from beijing, janis mackey frayer. for xi jinping and vladimir putin. you'll remember the last time they were together it was here in beijing when they declared that partnership with no limits and then three weeks later russia invaded ukraine. since then, china has never condemned russia for the invasion, nor has it called it a war, nor has it outright supported russia in its offensive in ukraine. what it has offered is rhetorical support. it's amplified russian propaganda here. it backed russia at the u.n. and it has been buying up a lot of russian oil and gas. it's not clear whether xi jinping is prepared to offer more material support to putin at this point because china is still wanting to avoid secondary sanctions that could see it suffer limitations on accessing global markets. what this is for both men is a show of solidarity. it's a confidence play. it's a show of strength at a time when they both need it. china's economy is wobbling under covid restrictions and russia is literally losing ground in ukraine. but

joining us from beijing, nbc news foreign correspondent, janis mackey frayer, good to see you.ose as it gets to humility from vladimir putin. you said you have questions and concerns. he said that to xi jinping, acknowledging that china does not support the war in ukraine fully. >>> china and russia still have strong strategic ties, vladimir putin and xi jinping share the same world view, especially when it comes to the united states, and they consider each other old friends. this meeting made it look like a very unequal partnership now. putin definitely had more at stake going into this meeting with xi. he's considered a pariah in the west and is pivoting to allies in the east. in beijing, he has not had public condemnation of the invasion but the extent of beijing's support hasn't been clear either. when putin made this rare admission that he was aware that china had concerns and questions, it revealed quite a lot. it shows that beijing is actually anxious about how the russian invasion is going. that it does not intend to offer further material support or tactical support. a