Russian diplomacy chief Sergei Lavrov said Friday he saw “serious obstacles” to finding a peace solution in Ukraine when he received Chinese envoy Li Hui in Moscow.
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During their meeting, “Russia’s Foreign Minister reiterated Moscow’s commitment to a politico-diplomatic solution to the conflict, noting the serious obstacles created by Ukraine and its Western backers to the resumption of peace talks,” Russian diplomacy said in a statement.
“Sergei Lavrov expressed his gratitude to China for its balanced stance on the Ukraine crisis and expressed great appreciation for Beijing’s willingness to play a positive role in solving the crisis,” she added.
A similar message was conveyed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone interview with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday.
Mr Putin “confirmed that the Russian side is open to political and diplomatic dialogue, which is still being hampered by Kiev and its Western backers,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Li Hui, a former Chinese ambassador to Moscow, was sent by Beijing to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Ukraine. He’s been touring Europe for a week.
During his visit to Kiev in early May, Li Hui held talks with the head of Ukraine’s diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba. He then insisted on “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
In Berlin, the German government urged Mr Hui to “put pressure” on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Russia and China maintain close ties that have been strengthened economically and diplomatically since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and Western sanctions that hit the Russian economy.
Beijing has never publicly condemned the Russian attack and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow in March, where he strongly supported his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.