China’s Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming met Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov on Thursday, accusing the U.S. of provoking North Korea and calling for less pressure on the DPRK, according to Liu’s official Twitter account.

The remarks closely mirror criticism of ongoing U.S.-ROK military exercises by three North Korean ambassadors in interviews with Chinese, Russian and Syrian state media aired last week. The top diplomats all called for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula.