In his annual press conference on the performance of Russian diplomacy in 2024, taking several questions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized the importance of the Russia-China relationship. In his opening remarks Lavrov explained that the “true root causes of the conflict [in Ukraine] left us no other choice” but to launch the special military operation. He stated that the Ukrainian regime “came to power through an illegal, anti-constitutional coup.” When the Russian speaking population in Ukraine “refused to accept it, that [unelected] regime launched an all-out offensive against all things Russian, which provided a centuries old framework for the region where people refused to obey the new Nazis.”
When asked about the statement of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, not long ago, that the Russian-Chinese relationship was becoming “more mature … independent and strong,” Lavrov responded, “I fully share the assessments of Russia-China relations provided by my good friend Wang Yi. We meet several times a year, and these meetings are quite useful….
