Ukraine war: China stands by Russia - Xi with warm words for Putin

Created: 06/18/2022, 04:49 am

By: Christian Stör

Vladimir Putin receives support from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China wants to further expand its cooperation with Russia.

Beijing/Moscow – China and Russia like to do things together.

What unites the two strategic partners above all is their rejection of NATO's eastward expansion and their opposition to the USA.

On February 4, 2022, before the start of the Ukraine war, both countries announced a partnership “without borders”.

On June 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping spoke on the phone for the second time since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict.

"The situation in Ukraine" was also an issue for the presidents, as the Kremlin announced.

Xi Jinping stressed "the legitimacy of Russia's actions to protect fundamental national interests in the face of challenges to its security from outside forces."

Ukraine war: China pledges support to Russia

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi pledged his support to Russia.

"China stands ready to continue supporting the Russian side on issues related to core interests and major concerns such as sovereignty and security, and to intensify strategic cooperation between the two countries," Xi said.

He urged all parties to "find an appropriate solution to the Ukraine crisis in a responsible manner."

The state agency Xinhua also reported that China is willing to mutually support Russia on sovereignty and security issues and important issues.

On February 4, Vladimir Putin (left) and Xi Jinping (right) met in person in Beijing.

© Alexei Druzhinin/ITAR-TASS/Imago

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putin pledged to "intensify multilateral cooperation with China and make constructive efforts to promote a multipolar world and build a fairer and more reasonable international order."

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Ukraine war: China and Russia also want to cooperate militarily

As reported by the AFP news agency, the Russian Presidential Office said that China and Russia want to strengthen their cooperation in the areas of energy, finance, industry and transport, among other things.

Putin and Xi also discussed "the development of military relations."

Cooperation between the two sides should be strengthened "in view of the global economic situation, which has been complicated by the illegal sanctions imposed by the West".

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Vladimir Putin and Xi Jiping spoke on the phone for the last time on February 25, 2022.

A day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Xi stressed the sovereignty of all countries but did not condemn the invasion.

The two heads of state had previously met at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing and issued a statement against NATO's eastward expansion.

(cs with dpa/AFP)