Applying Sanctions To Russia and China Is Unwise, Lavrov Says

Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday noted that diplomatic relations with China are at their best moment ever while also condemning Western sanctions against both nations.

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He highlighted that bilateral ties have reached an unprecedented level thanks to the "Treaty on Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation" which laid the foundations for a new type of relationship between Russia and China.

Lavrov lamented that Western countries promote an "ideologized agenda" to maintain their dominance by hampering other nations' development. "As soon as our Western partners face restrained opposition, they immediately resort to sanctions," he said.

The Russian official welcomed the efforts by the Venezuelan government to create a coalition against U.S. arbitrary sanctions that affect 18 countries.

The Russian Foreign Minister condemned Western countries' rejection of United Nations initiatives seeking to freeze sanctions to allow essential goods amid the pandemic.

Lavrov's two-day visit to China comes just a few days after a meeting between the U.S. and Chinese delegations in Alaska, where political tensions and differences grew high.  It also takes place after Russia's President Vladimir Putin demanded U.S. President Joe Biden apologize for calling him a murderer.

"Cooperation between Russia and China has an overall stabilizing effect on the regional and global situation... Mutually reliable and respectful dialogue should serve as an example for other countries," Lavrov stressed.