Kremlin denies turning to the East

Russia is not reorienting its foreign policy, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stressed, adding that doing so would be a mistake

Russia is not shifting its foreign policy to the East or anywhere else, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said following President Vladimir Putin’s recent four-day visit to China.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov was asked if the president’s trip could be interpreted as official “documentation” that Moscow has reoriented eastward.

”You can’t put it that way,” Peskov objected. “Nothing has been formalized, and it is impossible to formally record any kind of turns. Furthermore, Russia is not planning to turn anywhere, that would be a mistake. In fact, it has already always been in the East,” he added.