Kremlin 'certain' China's relations with US will not be directed against Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia is certain that China's relations with the US will not be directed against Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Commenting on a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing on June 18-19, Peskov said China is a sovereign state and has a right to build relations with other countries.

"In this case, of course, China is exercising its sovereign rights to build relations with other countries. Moreover, it is hardly worth belittling the importance of building predictable relations between China and the US. But the level of a strategic partnership with China allows us to be certain that building such relations with other countries will never be directed against our country," he stressed.

Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the spokesman assessed as "very fruitful" a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the delegation of African leaders in Moscow on Saturday, which sought a peaceful solution to the conflict.

"Putin is open to dialogue, he is open to contacts ... The other side of the question is the potential effectiveness of such a conversation," he said.

Peskov said that at the moment it is impossible "to talk about stable ground" for peace negotiations due to Kyiv's current position.

Putin also discussed with the leaders grain deliveries to the poorest countries of the African continent, the spokesman said.

Regarding the forthcoming meeting of deputy foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, Syria, and Türkiye, scheduled for June 20 in Astana, Kazakhstan, Peskov said it is a "continuation of a very long journey."

"Let's not have high expectations, the work continues and will continue," he added.