China is ready to play a "constructive role" in resolving the war in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russian state media ahead of talks in Moscow on Tuesday.
Wang met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and is also expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin during his visit, the Kremlin said.
"China is ready, taking into account the aspirations of the parties involved, to play a constructive role in the settlement" of the war, Wang told the news agency RIA Novosti.
At the start of his talks with Lavrov on Tuesday, Wang said that China would work together with Russia "to make new contributions to the cause of peace and development for humanity."
Both Wang and Lavrov hailed warm relations between the countries, with the Chinese foreign minister saying their "comprehensive cooperation" will take them to a "new stage" in bilateral ties.
Lavrov, in his turn, told Wang that "thanks to the two leaders, [relations] have reached an unprecedented level and continue to develop dynamically in all areas."
China presents itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine War and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.
But Beijing is a close political and economic ally of Russia and NATO members have branded Beijing a "decisive enabler" of Moscow's war, which it has never condemned.
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