Russia, China Intend to Strengthen Comprehensive Cooperation

US President Donald Trump’s accusations and threats against the Kremlin have led to a noticeable cooling of the barely started dialog between Moscow and Washington. Meanwhile, Russian-Chinese relations continue to strengthen. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in the Russian capital, where he was received by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks.

During the talks, Lavrov said that Russia and China “are united not only by historical martial brotherhood and common long borders, but also by centuries-old traditions of good-neighborliness, as well as a broad commonality of national interests.” In this regard, the Russian Foreign Minister noted that “this is how we are guided by our leaders – President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping – during the contact via videoconference, the leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the consistent strengthening of Russian-Chinese ties.” Lavrov added that both governments “will make every effort to effectively implement the presidential agreements.”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin reflected on Trump’s accusations of “Russia’s violation of ceasefire agreements.” According to the Russian Defense Ministry, “immediately after the telephone conversation between Putin and Trump on March 18, all strikes on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure were suspended.”

The Kiev side confirmed Moscow’s statements for the first time. “The Russian Federation has suspended drone attacks on Ukrainian territory for the first time since last year,” Andriy Kovalenko, director of the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, said on social media. According to him, “no UAV attacks have been recorded. We continue to monitor the situation.”