Putin will use meetings in China as green light to continue war - Zelenskyy
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin will use his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a kind of "green light" to continue the war in Ukraine, according to a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy specifically noted that after Putin’s meeting with Xi in China, there was a "very specific impression." Putin will apparently try to use this meeting as a "kind of green light to continue the war."
"And overall, through his behavior, Putin is trying to show that pressure on him supposedly has no effect. In reality, we believe the situation is fundamentally different. Pressure works, and the situation is becoming more complicated for the Russian economy and for those who trade with Russia," the president said.
Zelenskyy added that the line of increasing pressure will continue. In particular, new sanctions against the Kremlin were discussed.
"We will continue this line. Today we talked about new sanctions, including secondary ones, as well as special trade tariffs that could help," the president said.
Putin’s visit to China
On August 31, Putin arrived in China for a four-day visit. On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Putin claimed that Russia did not start the war against Ukraine and said it would continue until the "root causes" are addressed.
On September 2, Putin and Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing. However, no statements on Ukraine were made following the meeting.
On September 3, Putin attended a military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the war against Japanese invaders and in World War II.
