Report: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov reportedly at two places at one once

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was allegedly flying over the Siberian city of Novosibirsk on route to Beijing on Thursday before his flight turned around and returned to Moscow, the German newspaper Bild reported.

According to a tweet posted by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov was holding a press conference in Moscow just ahead of 1 p.m. local time on Thursday – the same time he was allegedly flying to Beijing. This means it remains unclear if Beijing refused to meet with the Kremlin’s top diplomat or if Moscow called him back. Either way, the plane’s final destination remains unclear.

Although China has attempted to maintain political neutrality throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States has continued to pressure Beijing to ignore Putin’s requests for financial and military assistance.

President Biden is scheduled to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to discuss the weeks-long war in Ukraine and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the call is part of the administration’s “ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication" between Washington and Beijing.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi referenced her country’s close friendship with Russia earlier this month and called Moscow the "most important strategic partner" to Beijing. China has also refused to condemn the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, although China's ambassador to Ukraine, Fan Xiangong, praised the Ukrainian people earlier this week. 

"We will always respect your state, we will develop relations on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. We will respect the path chosen by Ukrainians, because this is the sovereign right of every nation," Fan told Lviv officials on Monday, according to the Lviv regional government.

"In this situation, which you have now, we will act responsibly. We have seen how great the unity of the Ukrainian people is, and that means its strength," Fan added.