Today, the United States President Joe Biden will hold a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the White House warned Beijing was considering military assistance for Russian aggression of Ukraine, a move that would further broaden the gap between China and Western governments. It will be the first call between the two leaders since Russia attacked Ukraine, and it may play a notable role in finding the trajectory of the conflict.
Biden will speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Previously, Washington warned Beijing was considering military assistance for Russian aggression, a move that would widen the diplomatic gap between China and Western countries. pic.twitter.com/18gnebqj7c
— Live News Now (@LiveNewsNow6) March 18, 2022
China Refused to Condemn Russian Aggression of Ukraine
China, a close ally to Russia, previously refused to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser of the White House, met with senior Chinee foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi in Rome to discuss the current situation of the Russian-Ukraine war and China’s possible future role in the conflict.
United States officials warned that China helped spread disinformation for Russia that could be a lame excuse for Moscow to invade Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons. Last week, Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, reiterated baseless Russian claims that there were twenty-six bio-labs and related facilities in Ukraine, which are under the absolute control of the United States. However, the United Nations (U.N.) said that it has no proper evidence supporting the accusations.
Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine
Western countries have been sending humanitarian and military support to Ukraine. Psaki characterized the phone calls as an opportunity for the U.S. leader to assess where his Chinese counterpart stands. United States officials described those dialogs as tough and still discuss how to react if President Xi gives the Russian president economic or military aid.
Source: Web
The Russian invasion of Ukraine killed hundreds of civilians, and it sparked a humanitarian crisis as millions of Ukrainians fled the country. This week, Anton Siluanov, the Russian Finance Minister, said that the country was relying on China to help it survive the blow to its economy from severe sanctions from Western countries intended at isolating the Russian economy from the rest of the world.
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