Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday told China's special envoy Li Hui that there were "serious obstacles" to resuming peace talks, blaming Ukraine and Western countries, as reported by the news agency AFP. "The Russian foreign minister reaffirmed Moscow's commitment to a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, noting the serious obstacles to the resumption of peace talks created by the Ukrainian side and its Western mentors," the foreign ministry said, as quoted by AFP.
During the meeting with Li, Lavrov also hailed Beijing's "balanced" position on Ukraine. Li was China's ambassador to Russia between 2009 and 2019 While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
"Both sides expressed readiness to further strengthen Russian-Chinese foreign policy cooperation, invariably aimed at maintaining peace and stability in the region and on the planet as a whole," the Russian foreign ministry said, as quoted by AFP. Separately, Li also met with two Lavrov deputies, Mikhail Galuzin and Andrei Rudenko, Moscow said.
"Concern was expressed about the dangerous consequences of the growing involvement of NATO countries in the Ukrainian conflict, (and) their actions to militarise Ukraine," the foreign ministry said, referring to the meeting between Galuzin and Li, as quoted by AFP. The Chinese envoy's visit to the Russian capital came after Li met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv earlier this month. Li has said there is "no panacea to resolve the crisis".
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Since the beginning of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow have drawn closer under a partnership that has served as a diplomatic bulwark against the West. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow in March, saying ties were "entering a new era".