Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 15 July, on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization foreign-ministers gathering held in Tianjin. The meeting marked Lavrov’s first face-to-face talks with Xi since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago. State media said Xi called for the two countries to “strengthen mutual support” in multilateral forums, safeguard their development and security interests and deepen a partnership he described as a “model for a new type of international relations.” His remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on any country trading with Moscow unless the Kremlin agrees to a Ukraine peace deal within 50 days—an ultimatum that has drawn sharp reaction in both Beijing and Moscow. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov delivered greetings from President Vladimir Putin and discussed preparations for Putin’s expected visit to China for the SCO summit in September. Both sides also reviewed bilateral political contacts and regional issues, underscoring the growing alignment between the two powers as Western pressure on Russia intensifies.