China supports holding an international peace conference "recognized by both Russia and Ukraine" with equal participation of all parties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, CNN reports, citing a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, UNN writes.
Details
It is noted that the parties discussed the war in Ukraine. And that Wang told Lavrov that China supports holding an international peace conference "recognized by both Russia and Ukraine" with "equal participation of all parties and where all peace plans are discussed fairly," according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.
According to state-run Russian media, Lavrov said that international meetings on Ukraine that ignore Moscow's interests are "useless.
Глава МЗС Китаю зустрівся з лавровим: обговорили посилення співпраці КНР та росії09.04.24, 13:17
According to state media, China maintains a dialogue with Switzerland on the upcoming international peace conference, but has previously stated that such talks should be recognized by both Ukraine and Russia.
The newspaper notes that Beijing claims to be neutral on the war, but "has become a key economic lifeline for the isolated Russian economy and a loyal diplomatic partner for Moscow as both countries resist what they see as Western containment."
Chinese leader Xi Jinping also met with Lavrov in Beijing on Tuesday, in what CNN calls "another sign of the importance China attaches to its increasingly strong ties with Moscow.
It is stated that the meeting between Lavrov and Xi Jinping is their first in six years and is notable because heads of state do not necessarily meet with visiting ministers.
According to the newspaper, Lavrov is making a two-day visit to the Chinese capital after Russian President Vladimir Putin last month "suggested that he was considering his first foreign trip to China since extending his one-man rule with a staged election victory last month.
Глава Китаю Сі Цзіньпін провів зустріч із лавровим09.04.24, 14:03