Russia 'frustrated' with China for not offering more support amid war with Ukraine: Report

Russian officials are becoming “increasingly frustrated” with China’s apparent refusal to provide more support to Moscow amid the war with Ukraine, reported The Washington Post. 100 days after the onset of the war in February, majority of the West stood in support of Kyiv and a handful of nations publicly backed Moscow, such as China and Belarus. However, in an interesting development, the media report quoted a Chinese official describing Beijing’s discussions with Russia as “tense”. 

Russia and China had proclaimed that their bilateral ties had “no limits” before Kremlin announced its military operation in Ukraine. But now, according to the report, Beijing is endeavouring to maintain strong relations with Russia while also evading embargoes from the West. According to the United States, the goals that China is trying to achieve with its Russia ties are “contradictory” and “hard to fulfil”. 

Noting China’s confused response to the ongoing conflict in Europe, a senior US official told the newspaper, “That has been difficult” adding that “And it is insufficient from the Russian standpoint." 

Additionally, the paper’s source in China with the direct knowledge of the ongoing discussions with the Russian side, indicated that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s administration was not willing to provide unlimited help to Moscow following the war with Kyiv. Washington Post quoted the source in Beijing as saying, “China has made clear its position on the situation in Ukraine, and on the illegal sanctions against Russia”.

"We understand [Moscow's] predicament. But we cannot ignore our own situation in this dialogue. China will always act in the best interest of the Chinese people,” they added. 

US has not seen  ‘systematic effort’ by China to help Russia

The report followed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks on China’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war. The top US diplomat said that Washington had not seen any “systematic effort” by China to help Russia nor any significant military support from Beijing to Moscow. 

Notably, China has sought to take a neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict but has repeatedly called against unilateral sanctions on Russia which are imposed by the West. most recently, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced the US for banning imports of Russian gas, oil and coal. According to Sputnik, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Beijing strongly opposes Humanitarian Corridors from several Ukrainian cities. 

Image: AP