The Russian president Vladimir Putin stated that "Russia is in contact with all parties involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," according to the newspaper "Vedomosti" on Wednesday. During a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Putin remarked, "Russian peacekeeping forces are doing their utmost to protect civilians." For his part, Wang Yi noted that "Beijing is ready to continue trade cooperation with Moscow." The newspaper reported that "Putin officially accepted an invitation to visit China in October." This will be Putin's first announced trip outside Russia since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him regarding the deportation of children from Ukraine, which the Kremlin denies. Russia anticipates achieving a peaceful settlement regarding the situation in Karabakh, according to statements made by Putin during his meeting with the Chinese foreign minister.
Earlier today, the Armenian separatist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh announced their agreement "to the ceasefire conditions proposed by Russian peacekeeping forces, following a series of setbacks in battle at the hands of the Azerbaijani army." Azerbaijan announced on Tuesday that it had launched "anti-terror operations" targeting Armenian forces in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, just hours after six Azerbaijani citizens were killed in two separate landmine explosions.
