(Headline USA) Chinese Communist Party officials reportedly asked Russia to delay its invasion of Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics, according to U.S. officials.
A western intelligence report alleges Chinese officials met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, where he also met with CCP President Xi Jinping. Sources told the U.S. intelligence community that the request to delay Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was made around this time, though it is not clear whether Jinping made the request to Putin directly.
Putin began building up his military presence on Ukraine’s border before the Beijing Olympics, but did not launch a full-scale investigation until late last month.
During the Olympics, Xi and Putin released a joint statement condemning NATO expansion. Putin later cited NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe as a justification for his invasion of Ukraine.
China’s foreign ministry, however, denied the report that Xi knew about Putin’s planned invasion, calling the allegations “fake news.”
“We hope the culprit of the crisis would reflect on their role in the Ukraine crisis, take up their responsibilities, and take practical actions to ease the situation and solve the problem instead of blaming others,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a statement.
China has refused to join the West’s sanctions of Putin, saying it will not cut off Russia from the global economy.
“Regarding financial sanctions, we do not support that,” said Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. “China won’t join such sanctions.”
Western countries have cut off key Russian financial institutions from SWIFT, the main secure messaging system that facilitates cross-border financial transactions and money transfers. The move all but prevents them from international transactions, and has sent the Russian ruble into a spiral.
