Russian FM: West trying to drive wedge between Moscow, Beijing through 'unequal relations' allegation
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the West is trying to drive a wedge between his country and China by portraying their friendly relations in a bad light.
The Russian top diplomat made the remarks while speaking in an interview with the Argumenty i Fakty news website, which was published on Tuesday.
Lavrov said West's claims about an unequal relationship between Moscow and Beijing "have been exaggerated generally by unfriendly countries" for a long time.
"We see this as an attempt to cast a shadow on our successes, to drive a wedge into the friendship between Moscow and Beijing," the Russian foreign minister added.
The West has become increasingly wary of the developing relations between Beijing and Moscow since early 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping struck a "no limits" partnership.
Defending the quality of the two countries' ties and their resilience in the face of the Western antagonism, Lavrov said, "Naturally, we have a sense of comradeship and readiness to stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of each other's fundamental interests."
The Russian top diplomat added that 10 hours of talks between Putin and Xi in Moscow last month, have propelled the "strategic partnership" between Moscow and Beijing beyond "an exclusively bilateral context."
The talks saw the two countries agreeing to expand trade, energy, and political relations amid the West’s adversarial approach towards both.
"European Union lost Russia due to its own fault"
Turning to the issue of Russia's relations with the European Union, Lavrov said the bloc was responsible for the poor quality of its ties with Moscow because of its support for Ukraine and supplying the "criminal regime" in Kiev with weapons and instructors.
The Russian official was referring to the constant provision of arms and logistical supplies to Ukraine by the EU and its allies throughout Moscow's war with Kiev. Russia has time and again warned that the Western military support for Ukraine only prolongs the conflict.
"The European Union has lost Russia. But it is its own fault. It is the EU member countries and EU leaders who openly declare it is necessary to inflict, as they call it, a strategic defeat on Russia," Lavrov told the website.
"In reply to [EU's] hostile steps, we will act in a tough manner if necessary, based on Russia's national interests and the principle of reciprocity as accepted in the diplomatic practice," the top diplomat warned.
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