Russia and China have once again reiterated their cooperation following a meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in India amid rising geopolitical tensions over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
In statement released after the meeting, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said “there was a unanimous rejection by the two of attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, or imposing unilateral approaches using blackmail and threats, or to oppose the democratization of international relations,” in an apparent reference to the United States and its NATO allies,
According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry readout, Qin said Beijing supports any efforts conducive to peace in Ukraine and will continue to play a constructive role in that regard.
Both sides affirmed cooperation and coordination and enhanced strategic communication, according to the Chinese and Russian readouts.
Some context: Tensions between the United States and China have intensified in recent weeks, including over concerns from Washington that Beijing is considering sending lethal aid to the Kremlin’s struggling war effort. Beijing has denied those claims and instead sought to portray itself as an impartial agent of peace — in contrast to the US, which it has accused of “adding fuel to the fire” in the conflict and damaging the global economy with sanctions targeting Russia.
