(Reuters) – Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov arrived in China, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday, for what Moscow had said was talks on the war in Ukraine, bilateral ties and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Russian foreign minister will talk with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on a series of “hot topics” that will also include joint cooperation in international organisations, such as the United Nations and the Group of 20 (G20), Moscow had said earlier.
Reuters reported last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in what could be the Kremlin chief’s first overseas trip of his new presidential term.
Moscow and Beijing declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.
Hit with sanctions that closed access to Western markets and finances after sending its troops to Ukraine, Russia has since become China’s fastest-growing trade partner.
Xi, in a call with Putin last month, said both sides should resolutely oppose interference in domestic affairs by external forces, an apparent reference to the United States.
Chinese vice foreign minister Sun Weidong said bilateral ties were “at their best in history” when he met his Russian counterpart in Moscow last month, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Lisbon; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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