MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China on May 16-17 made a strong impression on the British authorities, Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin said in an interview with Rossiya-24.
The president made a state visit to China under invitation from Chinese leader Xi Jinping as his first foreign trip after the beginning of his new presidential term.
"Judging by our observations, Vladimir Putin’s visit to China made a strong impression in London. Following the Americans’ example, they have started attacking China here - precisely from the standpoint of a threat that it allegedly poses for the UK. This is a totally contrived thing, of course," the diplomat said.
Commenting on the claims, made by UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, that China allegedly gets ready to ship lethal weapons to Russia, Kelin pointed out the politician’s propensity for harsh and emotional statements.
"He is a fan of big rhetoric, harsh remarks, statements, who seeks to attract attention and to win electoral points," the Russian envoy explained.
In this regard, he pointed out the Chinese embassy’s reaction to Shapps’ remarks. On Thursday, the Chinese mission urged the UK to refrain from "groundless accusations against China, to stop fueling the flames on the Ukrainian issue and to seriously consider its role in the issues of international peace and security."
"The language that the UK continues to fuel the flames of the conflict [around Ukraine] is a rather harsh wording from the Chinese," Kelin noted.