Moscow praises Beijing's 'similarity' of position on US, Ukraine

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Sep 2023 10:48

The Russian Foreign Ministry says Lavrov and Wang discussed in detail the current state of affairs in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow, on September 18, 2023 (Russian Foreign Ministry)

Following talks between Russia and China's top diplomats on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that Moscow and Beijing are closely aligned in their positions on the United States and resolving the Ukraine conflict.

The statement came after China's Wang Yi kicked off a four-day visit to Moscow with a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the latest in a series of high-level contacts between the two strategic allies.

"The similarity of the parties' positions regarding US actions in the international arena, including those of an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese nature, was stated," Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

The statement highlighted that "the parties discussed in detail the current state of affairs in Ukraine, noting the futility of attempts to resolve the crisis without taking into account Russia's interests and, all the more so, without Russia's participation."

Wang also told Lavrov about the content of talks he held over the weekend with US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the statement noted. A White House statement said one of the meeting's main takeaways was a commitment from both officials to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement. Wang brought up the issue of Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory, as a "red line that cannot be crossed in Sino-US relations."

According to a Chinese state media readout, Wang reiterated Beijing's position paper on the Ukraine conflict, which called for peace talks but was met with skepticism by the United States and NATO when it was released earlier this year.

Wang told Lavrov that the plan "takes into account the security concerns of all parties and is conducive to eliminating the root causes of the conflict," the state-run Xinhua news agency mentioned.

"A permanent good-neighbourly friendship, comprehensive strategic cooperation, and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia will continue to contribute to the development and revitalisation of each country," the Chinese Foreign Minister emphasized.

During his visit, Wang is due to hold security consultations at the invitation of Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's security council.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a state visit to Moscow in March and declared that relations between the two countries were entering a new era.

An aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed in July that the Kremlin leader was planning to visit China in October.

At the annual Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok last week, Putin told Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing that ties between Russia and China "have reached an absolutely unprecedented, historical level."