Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday as part of his two-day official visit to China, Chinese media reported.
In a post on X, Russian Foreign Ministry stated:
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov holds talks with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.
Lavrov said at the ministerial meeting that the presidential election in Russia was held amid severe external pressure from the West and a surge in terrorist attacks from Ukraine. He noted that shelling of Russian cities has become more frequent, resulting in civilian casualties, according to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russian minister added that hackers had made numerous attempts to break into Russia’s election system. However, the vote was successful and nothing interfered with the free and recorded expression of the will of Russian voters.
Lavrov thanked China for supporting and safeguarding the sovereign rights of the people of Russia under the Constitution. He noted that the “comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction” between Russia and China has reached an “unprecedented level,” according to the Russian foreign minister.
He said the “strategic partnership” between China and Russia is built on the principles of respectful, equal and trusting dialogue, as well as mutual support on issues affecting the fundamental interests of the two countries.
Lavrov noted that two countries are working to shape a fairer multipolar world order and to develop inclusive and creative formats of cooperation, including such as BRICS and the SCO.
Both sides discussed the war in Ukraine and agreed that international meetings on Ukraine that ignore Moscow’s interests are “useless”, Lavrov told the conference.
Wang told his counterpart that China supports an international peace conference “recognised by both Russia and Ukraine”, with “equal participation of all sides and where all peace plans are discussed honestly”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
The remarks came amid a continuing rise in questions about how to end the war in Ukraine. China supports dialogue with Switzerland over an upcoming international peace conference, Chinese media reported, but has previously said such talks should be recognised by both Ukraine and Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in China on Monday on an official visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Global Times reported. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Lavrov would be on an official visit to China on 8-9 April.
Speaking at a regular press conference on Monday, Mao Ning said the two sides will exchange views and coordinate positions on the development of bilateral ties, cooperation in various fields and international issues of mutual interest as part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Chinese-Russian diplomatic relations.
