MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. The Kremlin calls on the United States and China for cooperation as their exchange of accusatory rhetoric looks appalling amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"In the light of common efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, it looks unpleasant," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday when asked to comment on the Washington-Beijing spat.

"Naturally, we would prefer to see interaction, cooperation and mutual assistance instead of these exchanges," he said, adding that Russia is guided by these principles in its bilateral relations with both China and the United States.

Peskov noted that Moscow develops close and partner relations with Beijing and will continue to do that. "We are cooperating and helping each other to combat the coronavirus infection, to develop vaccines. We exchange information," he said. "We also have contacts with the Americans. Naturally, we hail and are grateful for the assistance offered to us in terms of medical equipment. You know that the Russian side also demonstrated its readiness to extend such assistance at the previous stages of the anti-coronavirus efforts."

The United States has been claiming that China concealed information about the virus’ origin and the epidemic’s scope. Beijing, in turn, expressed regret that "some politicians are tending to use the situation with the virus to demonize China."