Russia, China show off ties amid maneuvering over Ukraine
The IndependentSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Russia and China showcased their deepening ties Wednesday in a series of meetings in Moscow closely watched for signs that Beijing might offer stronger support to the Kremlin for its war in Ukraine. Speaking at the start of their talks, Lavrov noted that “our ties have continued to develop dynamically, and despite high turbulence in the global arena we have shown the readiness to speak in defense of each other's interests.” Wang responded in kind, underlining Beijing's focus on deepening ties with Russia — a relationship it says has “no limits.” China has pointedly refused to criticize the invasion of Ukraine — echoing Moscow's claim that the U.S. and NATO are to blame for provoking the Kremlin while blasting the punishing sanctions imposed on Russia. The rapprochement has worried the West, leading U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to warn that any Chinese involvement in the Kremlin’s war effort would be a “serious problem.” Wang's talks with Lavrov followed his meeting Tuesday with Nikolai Patrushev, the powerful secretary of Russia’s National Security Council, who called for closer cooperation with Beijing to counter what he described as Western efforts to maintain dominance by thwarting an alliance between China and Russia. The lower house of Russia’s parliament on Wednesday quickly endorsed Putin’s move to suspend the treaty, with officials and lawmakers casting it as an 11th-hour warning to Washington amid the tensions over Ukraine.