Ukraine, through Mykhaïlo Podoliak, one of the participants in the peace negotiations, on Saturday March 19 urged China, Russia’s ally, to support Ukraine and condemn “Russian barbarism”. This announcement comes 24 hours after the call between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping about the war.
The Ukrainian presidency on Saturday called on China to join the West in “condemning Russian barbarism” in Ukraine. “China can be an important part of the global security system if it makes the right decision to support the coalition of civilized countries and condemn Russian barbarism,” tweeted Mykhaïlo Podoliak, an adviser to the presidency and one of the participants in the negotiations. with Russia.
може стати важливим елементом глобальної системи безпеки, якщо ухвалить правильне рішення – підтримати коаліцію цивілізованих країн і засудити варварство РФ. Це шанс сидіти за столом на рівних. Європейці та мають чітко пояснити Пекіну різницю між $1.6 трлн і $150 млрд.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 19, 2022
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping spoke on Friday
Joe Biden “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it carries out a brutal attack on Ukrainian cities and civilians,” the White House said, without specifying what retaliation the China would expose itself in this case.
China maintains its ambiguity
The highly anticipated meeting between the two heads of state did not signal any significant shift in the position of the United States or China. Xi Jinping maintained the ambiguity, saying on Friday that military conflicts were “in no one’s interest” and stressing that “the Ukrainian crisis was not something we wanted to see”, according to comments reported by the Chinese television.