Chinese Foreign Minister (FM) Wang Yi extended his support for Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine during a conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Lavrov first briefed Wang on the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine and Russia’s position. He then justified President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, reasoning that the United States (US) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) had “broken their commitments, continued to expand eastward, refused to implement the Minsk-2 agreement, and violated UN Security Council Resolution 2202.” “Russia was forced to take necessary measures to safeguard its rights and interests,” Lavrov asserted.
In response, Wang said that “China always respects all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Acknowledging that the dispute over Ukraine has a “complex and unique” history Wang affirmed that the Chinese government “understands Russia’s legitimate concerns on security issues.”
Ukrainian intelligence burns documents before the Russians reach them #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/GwDp7wbEpK
— Ukraine live (@berojag59060636) February 25, 2022
Referring to the West’s combined criticism of the invasion, Wang said that China is opposed to “Cold War mentality,” which he said “should be completely abandoned.” Furthermore, he proposed that “a balanced, effective, and sustained European security mechanism should be formed through dialogue and negotiation.”
China’s show of support for Russian interests is not unprecedented. In a joint statement released by Kremlin following Putin’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping along the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics earlier this month, the leaders made a veiled reference to the West’s support for Ukraine by saying, “Some actors representing but the minority on the international scale continue to… interfere in the internal affairs of other states, infringing their legitimate rights and interests, and incite contradictions, differences and confrontation, thus hampering the development and progress of mankind, against the opposition from the international community.”
Wang’s latest comments on the West’s Cold War mentality was referring to the series of measures that several Western nations took in the wake of the invasion. US President Joe Biden announced what he called “devastating” sanctions against Russia and additionally approved the deployment of 7,000 troops to Germany as part of NATO’s response. Similarly, the European Union, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia have also slapped sanctions on Putin’s regime.
Meanwhile, the situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate. After almost 24 hours since Russia invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea, Russian troops have advanced from multiple fronts—Luhansk in the east, Belgorod (Russia) in the northeast, Crimea in the south, and Belarus in the north. According to reports, Russian troops have taken control of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which lies 137 kilometres north of Kyiv, and plan on advancing towards the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier today that 137 people, including civilians, have thus far been killed in Russia’s assault.