Ukraine is eagerly awaiting President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Kremlin this week. China claims to respect the principle of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and has provided genuine diplomatic support to Russia since its invasion last February.
Beijing seeks to depict itself as a neutral party to the conflict, neither condemning nor explicitly supporting the Russian offensive.
With no clout left, Ukraine hopes pressure from its Western allies on China’s leadership will help maintain this fragile balance.
According to AFP when speaking with Sergiy Solodky, First Deputy Director of the New Europe Center Think Tank in Kyiv,
“Ukraine’s expectations are at a minimum level: for things not to deteriorate”.
The topic is so sensitive that Ukrainian authorities do not wish to comment publicly on the trip, planned from Monday to Wednesday during which Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi are supposed to meet at least twice.
“Ukraine will follow this visit closely,” a senior Ukrainian official told AFP anonymously.
“For us, it is critically important that China maintains its policy of unwavering respect for the territorial integrity of other countries,” the official said, in reference to how Russia has claimed the annexation of five Ukrainian regions.
At the same time, the United States in February accused Beijing of considering supplying arms to Russia.
“We’re confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment” to Russia, CIA director William Burns told CBS in February.
According to media reports, this could include ammunition and drones. China has strongly denied the claims.
Up until now, only Iran has supplied attack drones to Moscow, which uses them in particular to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
US officials say Chinese companies are already supplying Russia with non-lethal equipment.
“If they start supplying arms, that would be a serious problem for us,” another senior Ukrainian official said in early March anonymously.
cc: Punch Ng
