Russia's Lavrov accuses West of attempting to divide Moscow and Beijing.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of trying to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing by exaggerating suggestions of an unequal relationship between the two countries. Lavrov also said that the EU's hostile stand towards Moscow means it had "lost" Russia and that Moscow intended to deal with Europe in a tough manner if necessary. Putin and Xi Jinping's recent talks had propelled the "strategic partnership" between Moscow and Beijing beyond "an exclusively bilateral context".