Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in Beijing on Tuesday, after talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, that Russia and China will continue their cooperation in the war against terrorism as their relations are currently at their strongest phase. Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov saying, "I thank the Chinese side for their condolences regarding the terrorist attack that occurred on the outskirts of Moscow on March 22 of this year, and for supporting Russia's war against terrorism." The ISIS organization claimed responsibility for a shooting at a concert near Moscow that resulted in at least 144 deaths, but Russia claims it believes Ukraine is behind the attack.
In terms of counter-terrorism, Lavrov noted: "Our cooperation in combating terrorism will continue, including collaboration within multilateral institutions." Moscow and Beijing announced a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before Russia launched its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine, and their relations have strengthened since then.
For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned that he discussed the situation in Gaza and Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who is currently visiting Beijing. Wang stated at a press conference: "Minister Lavrov and I had in-depth discussions on many important international and regional issues, particularly Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Regarding an international conference on Ukraine, the Chinese Foreign Minister announced that his country supports holding an international conference, in due course, to resolve the crisis in Ukraine with the participation of Moscow and Kyiv. Wang Yi said, "We hope for a ceasefire as soon as possible, and China supports holding an international conference at an appropriate time agreed upon by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation from all parties and a fair discussion of all peace plans."
Both Russia and China affirmed the futility of meetings on Ukraine if they ignore Moscow's interests. Lavrov added, "We talked about the current situation regarding the Ukrainian crisis. We and our Chinese friends clearly declare the necessity of taking into account the legitimate concerns of all parties involved, especially in the field of security." He further added, "In this context, my Chinese colleagues and I confirmed the conclusion that any international activities that do not consider Russia's position and completely disregard it, like the so-called peace formula proposed by President Zelensky, will be of no benefit and completely disconnected from reality."
Wang emphasized that both countries must stand for "fairness and justice." He remarked, "As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major emerging powers, China and Russia must clearly stand by historical progress, fairness, and justice," adding that the two sides "will continue to maintain close communication in various forms."
During his official visit to Beijing, Lavrov also thanked China for sending a group of observers to the Russian presidential elections held in March, in which President Vladimir Putin won an unprecedented majority in the post-Soviet era. Lavrov stated, "Thanks to our leadership, the comprehensive partnership and strategic interactions between Russia and China have reached an unprecedented level." He added, "With Vladimir Putin's re-election, the continuity of their comprehensive enhancement has, of course, received further guarantees." Moscow had previously stated that discussions between Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart would cover "hot topics" such as security in the Asia-Pacific region and the war in Ukraine.
