Xi, Lavrov meet in Beijing

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, Moscow said, as part of a visit by the top Russian diplomat to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

“Xi welcomed Lavrov to the Chinese capital as part of his participation in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that a number of issues of bilateral political contacts were discussed at the highest and highest levels, including preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China to attend the SCO summit and the World War II anniversary celebrations.

The Chinese president met with Lavrov after a “general meeting” with SCO foreign ministers, Russia’s Tass news agency reported.

Lavrov discussed relations with Ukraine and the United States with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Sunday.

The Russian foreign minister arrived in China after a visit to North Korea, where he received assurances of support in the conflict with Ukraine.

Beijing, Moscow’s diplomatic and economic ally, has maintained its neutrality in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

But China has never condemned Russia's more than three-year military campaign or called for its troops to be withdrawn. Many of Ukraine's allies believe Beijing is supporting Moscow over the issue.

China has regularly called for an end to the fighting and accused Western countries of prolonging the conflict by providing weapons to Ukraine.

Beijing has long sought to portray the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs such as NATO, and has emphasized strengthening cooperation among its member states in politics, security, trade and science. Agency