9.1 C
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Buy now

Ukraine war: Russia, China look to develop closer ties in face of 'illegal' Western sanctions

world-regions to strengthen ties world-regions as the U.S. and NATO allies call on Beijing to instead apply greater pressure and apply economy” target=”_blank”>sanctions to Moscow<

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Both ministers condemned the “illegal” and “counter-productive” Western sanctions imposed in reaction to the invasion. 

RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES

“Both sides are more determined to develop bilateral ties, and are more confident in promoting cooperation in various fields,” Wang said. “China is willing to work with Russia to take China-Russian ties to a higher level in a new era under the guidance of the consensus reached by the heads of state.” 

  • Wang Lavrov Foreign Ministers Image 1 of 4

    China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Brazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo are pictured during a BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 26, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes ( )

  • Putin Xi Image 2 of 4

    Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool)

  • Holy Dormition Sviatogirsk Lavra Image 3 of 4

    Svyatogorsk Lavra in the Donetsk region after it was targeted  (State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine )

  • MARIUPOL-BOMB-RUSSIA-UKRAINE Image 4 of 4

    A damaged building is seen, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine March 14, 2022. (REUTERS/Oleksandr Lapshyn)

Lavrov updated Wang on Russia’s progress of military operations in Ukraine and the current progress on negotiations with Kyiv, Reuters reported. Wang praised the relationship as having “withstood the test of international turbulence.” 

UKRAINE INSISTS RUSSIA MUST WITHDRAW COMPLETELY BEFORE SIGNING PEACE AGREEMENT

Russia’s foreign ministry referred to NATO allies as “satellites” of the U.S.

The relationship between China and Russia drew heavy scrutiny in the run-up to the invasion: Some experts noted that China would likely act as a backdoor for Russia in the event of sanctions from the West, with Trump’s Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert L. Wilkie previously telling Fox News Digital that China was “Russia’s banker.” 

BIDEN PROMISES ZELENSKYY ANOTHER $500M IN FUNDING IN HOUR-LONG CALL, BRINGING US AID TO UKRAINE TO $2.5

China moved to do just that with a few contracts that locked in coal and wheat agreements with Russia prior to the invasion: The two countries finalized a deal that would see China purchase 100 million tons of Russian coal only the day before Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine. 

Russian news outlet TASS, which is owned by the government, reported on the deal, adding that Russia’s share of coal in the Asia-Pacific market has increased by 8% since 2010, with Russia now controlling around 12% of the market – another sign of the increasingly close relationship. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But former Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev previously told Fox News Digital that China will “never” see Putin as an “equal partner.” 

“China is kind of inciting him to go to quarrel with the West because it’s in their interest,” Kozyrev argued. “If he loses the Western markets – even Japan and many other countries joined the sanctions – he will crawl to China asking them to buy some of their mineral resources.”

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest Articles