MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Beijing's positive influence on Brussels on the settlement in Ukraine will benefit ordinary Europeans and help achieve sustainable peace, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said in an interview with TASS.
He noted that regarding the issue of China's possible exertion of pressure on Europe over Ukraine, "it is better to ask Beijing to assess its plans and available tools."
"Of course, if Beijing manages to influence positively the minds of Brussels bureaucrats and leaders of individual European countries who seek Russophobia and escalation of the conflict in Ukraine as a way to shift public attention from internal problems and accelerate their economies through increased military spending, this will contribute to achieving sustainable peace and meet the interests of ordinary Europeans," Rudenko added.
He recalled one of the "most important principles of the Russian-Chinese partnership. We are not friends against anyone, our relations are not an alliance, and despite the truly comprehensive and strategic nature of our partnership and interaction, we nevertheless remain flexible, which allows us to take into account and respect the national interests of the parties. Thus, China implements an independent foreign policy and contributes to resolving the Ukrainian crisis based on its own principled approaches."