Digital Desk: Russia gained China’s support in its standoff with the West over Ukraine, as Beijing agreed with Moscow that the US-led NATO military alliance should not accept new members.
The call for NATO to halt expansion came following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing when Putin praised the two countries’ “dignified friendship”.
Moscow and Beijing attacked Washington’s destabilizing role in global security in a lengthy strategy document.
“The parties oppose further NATO expansion and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to forsake Cold War-era ideological methods.” the letter stated, advocating respect for other countries sovereignty, security, and interests.
The call recalls Russian demands that have been at the centre of weeks of intense negotiations between Moscow and the West, with a potential confrontation looming in the background.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rebutted the Russian-Chinese assertions.
“This isn’t primarily about NATO expansion. It’s about supporting each sovereign nation’s freedom to choose their own path.” said Stoltenberg.
Western leaders have accused Russia of stockpiling 100,000 troops on the frontiers of pro-Western Ukraine in preparation for an invasion and have threatened to slam Moscow with crippling sanctions if it attacks.
On Friday, Beijing and Moscow issued a joint statement criticizing Washington’s “negative influence on peace and stability” in the “Asia-Pacific region.
Russia and China have also expressed their concern over the AUKUS defence alliance, which includes Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
On Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz became the latest European politician to plan a trip to the region, announcing he will visit Ukraine on February 14 and Russia the following day.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will go to Moscow on Monday and Kyiv on Tuesday to meet with his Russian and Ukrainian colleagues.
Putin’s meeting with Xi came just hours before the Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony after the US stated it had proof of Moscow planning to film a fake Ukrainian attack on Russians to justify an attack on its neighbour.
John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said, “The US had knowledge indicating the Russians are likely want to construct a pretext for an invasion, but provides no proof.”
According to Russia, the US assertions are ludicrous, repeatedly denying any invasion plans.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “The delusional nature of such fabrications — and there are more and more of them every day is obvious.”
Washington’s allegation came after visits by European leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to bolster their support for Kyiv.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, praised the gestures of support on Friday, saying they prevented Russia from “further worsening the security situation.”
“Because our partners trust in Ukraine, Moscow’s intimidation approach is failing. Russia has been eliminated from this round.” Kuleba said.
Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inked an agreement on Thursday to expand parts manufacture in Ukraine for a Turkish combat drone whose sale to Kyiv has enraged Moscow.
Erdogan has attempted to portray Turkey, a NATO member, as a neutral mediator with ties to both Moscow and Kyiv.
Erdogan claimed that the West was making the problem “worse” after his visit.
“Unfortunately, the West has not contributed to settling this situation till now,” he stated in comments reported by local media on Friday.
“They are simply aggravating the situation,” Erdogan added that Joe Biden has yet to exhibit a positive attitude.
When Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and committed its political weight behind armed separatists in the country’s east, it badly harmed its relationship with the West.
Over 13,000 people have died in nearly eight years of war between Kyiv and pro-Moscow rebels, with the West and Russia exchanging waves of tit-for-tat sanctions.
In the most recent diplomatic spat, Putin has demanded assurances that Ukraine would not join NATO and has implied that the major military build-up will threaten the former Soviet state.
Russia also wants NATO and the US to refrain from stationing missile systems near its borders and withdrawing NATO forces from eastern Europe.
Plans for joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus, where Washington thinks Moscow is prepared to send 30,000 troops, have exacerbated tensions.
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