The White House sent a strong message to Chinese leaders not to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine even as leaders of the two Asian countries met in person to reaffirm their partnership.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Thursday at a regional summit in Uzbekistan days after Russian forces lost significant territorial ground in Ukraine.
XI TO PUTIN: ‘WE ARE READY TO TEAM UP WITH OUR RUSSIAN COLLEAGUES’
The two leaders publicly pledged support to work together, including Xi telling Putin that his country is “ready to team up with our Russian colleagues,” while the Russian leader acknowledged that China had some “questions and concerns” regarding the war. The admission represents a possible strain in their relationship, though Xi referred to Putin as a “dear and longtime friend.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby issued a warning to China, telling CNN that it’s not “business as usual” as it relates to working with Russia.
“Our message to China, I think, has been consistent: that this is not the time for any kind of business as usual with Mr. Putin, given what he’s done inside Ukraine. This is not the time to be isolated from the rest of the international community, which has largely condemned what he’s doing in Ukraine and not only condemned it but stepped up to help the Ukrainians defend themselves and their territorial integrity,” he said.
To date, China has refrained from explicitly displaying support for Putin’s war in Ukraine, which the NSC spokesman noted, though the country has amplified Russian disinformation claims of justification for the invasion.
“China has a choice to make,” Kirby elaborated. “They clearly have chosen not to condemn that war in Ukraine. But we also haven’t seen — importantly, we haven’t seen them violate the sanctions or in any other way provide direct material assistance to Mr. Putin.”
Kirby argued it was “important” for the Kremlin to hold the meeting “because Mr. Putin is very much under strain and stress in Ukraine.”
The Biden administration announced on Thursday night new military aid for Ukraine valued at roughly $600 million, bringing the total military assistance since Russia invaded to more than $15 billion. It includes additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 36,000 105 mm artillery rounds, and 1,000 precision-guided 155 mm artillery rounds, among other systems and equipment.
The HIMARS, a Lockheed Martin product, have proven to have a profound impact on the war and played a role in Ukraine’s latest and most successful counterattack to date. Over the last week or so, Ukrainian forces launched two offensives, one in the south and one in the northeast, the latter of which has resulted in a significant liberation of Russian-occupied territory.
“Some units retreated in relatively good order and under control, while others fled in apparent panic,” the United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry said Thursday. “High-value equipment abandoned by retreating Russian forces included capabilities essential to enable Russia’s artillery-centric style of warfare. Amongst these are at least one ZOOPARK counter-battery radar and at least one IV14 artillery command and control vehicle.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited one of the newly liberated cities, Izium, which is where he said there was a “mass burial site,” though details remain unclear. A Ukrainian official told Sky News that 440 graves were found in the city. This is not the first time that Ukrainians have uncovered horrific scenes after liberating territory previously occupied by Russia.
Despite the Russian retreat, Kremlin officials have said they will not call up their reserve forces. They have described the war as a “special military operation” to the Russian citizens, and calling up their reserves would likely force them to acknowledge the reality — that they’re engaged in a war that is not going well without a clear end in sight.
