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.
The visit by Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official, comes as the conflict in Ukraine continues to upend the global diplomatic order.
Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War, and ties between China and the US are also under serious strain.
Moscow suspended its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with Washington this week. And the US expressed concern in recent days that China could provide arms and ammunition to Russia.
Wang held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and met with President Vladimir Putin.
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 defence 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 criticise the invasion of Ukraine — echoing Moscow's claim that the US and NATO are to blame for provoking the Kremlin while blasting the punishing sanctions imposed on Russia. Russia, in turn, has staunchly supported China amid tensions with the US over Taiwan.
The two nations have held a series of military drills that showcased their increasingly close defence ties.
The rapprochement has worried the West, leading US 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 visit took place against a backdrop of grinding battles in Ukraine as neither side appeared to gain momentum, following weeks of virtual stalemate during the winter.
Ukraine's presidential office said Wednesday that at least seven civilians were killed over the previous 24 hours. Fight remained most intense in eastern areas, Ukrainian officials said.
In the partially occupied Donetsk region, the Ukrainian governor of the region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, accused the Kremlin's forces of adopting “scorched-earth tactics” as they pummeled cities, towns and villages.
In the neighbouring Luhansk region, also largely occupied, the Russian army tried to break through Ukrainian defences near the city of Kreminna, but after a “very heavy battle” the attack subsided, Luhansk Gov. Serhii Haidai said.
The growing relationship between China and Russia is another example of the ways the war has spread into perilous new terrain.
Putin's announcement Tuesday that Russia would suspend its participation in the New START Treaty, raising new concerns about the fate of the arms pact, which was already on life support.
The move follows Moscow's decision last fall to allow the resumption of US inspections of its nuclear sites but also its refusal to hold a scheduled round of consultations under the pact.
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.