MOSCOW

Russia on Tuesday said that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s likely visit to Taiwan would be provocative.

“This tour and a possible visit to Taiwan is a pure provocation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in the capital Moscow.

Accusing the US of choosing “the path of confrontation,” he asserted that the potential visit is increasing the tension in Asia-Pacific Rim.

“We want to emphasize once again that we are absolutely in solidarity with China, whose attitude towards the problem is understandable and absolutely justified,” Peskov said.

Referring to a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin slated for Friday in Russia’s southern resort city of Sochi, he said various issues concerning both countries will be addressed.

It will be a good platform to discuss, among other matters, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the export of Ukrainian grain, and the developments in Syria, Peskov highlighted.

Pelosi, who will be the first US House speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, will meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and lawmakers, Taiwanese media reported.

While Taiwanese officials are mum on the visit, China, which claims the self-governing island as a part of its territory, has said its military "won't sit by idly" if its "sovereignty and territorial integrity" is threatened. It has held several military drills near Taiwan since the speculations on the visit began.

Last week, China’s President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Joe Biden "not to play with fire" over Taiwan.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara​​​​​​​