US urges China to halt support for Russia ahead of Putin's visit
Photo: Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson (Getty Images)
China must stop supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine. No country should give Vladimir Putin a platform to promote aggression against Ukraine, says Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel in a briefing.
The State Department representative commented on Putin's upcoming visit to China. Patel noted that Russia's war against Ukraine is the biggest threat to European security. Therefore, Beijing cannot fuel it if it allegedly wants to have good relations with Europe and other countries.
"The importance of this is not just a U.S. position, but it’s also been clearly communicated from our partners in the G7 to our partners in NATO and to – from the EU. If the PRC were to end its support for Russia, Russia would struggle to sustain its war efforts against Ukraine, and no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression against Ukraine," said Patel.
He added that the world cannot return to business as usual and turn a blind eye to the violations of international law committed by Russia.
It should be noted that Russian president Vladimir Putin plans to visit China on May 16-17. According to Russian media, he will visit Beijing and Harbin and meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
This will be Putin's first visit since his so-called "inauguration." It is also worth noting that since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Putin has been unable to freely visit other countries, as the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the deportation of Ukrainian children.
China-Russia relations
China has officially claimed to take a neutral position regarding Russia's war against Ukraine. Beijing has not provided weapons to the Russian army, but Chinese companies continue to supply dual-use goods.
The United States urges China to refrain from helping Russia. During a visit to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised that Washington would strengthen sanctions against Beijing if it provided weapons to Russia.
