Since Russia’s invasion, China has taken a cautious line, criticizing Western sanctions against Russia but not stopping short of supporting or helping the military campaign. “We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends regarding the crisis in Ukraine,” Putin told Xi in their first meeting since the start of the war. “We understand your questions and concern about this. During today’s meeting, we will of course explain our position.” Xi did not mention Ukraine in his public remarks, nor did he refer to a Chinese reading of their meeting, which took place in Uzbekistan on the sidelines of a regional summit.
Pressure on Putin?
Beijing’s support is widely seen as essential for Moscow, which needs markets for its energy exports and sources to import high-tech goods as it faces sanctions imposed by the West. Members of the Ukrainian artillery fire a self-propelled howitzer Thursday along part of the southern frontline of the ongoing war against the Russian invasion. (Ihor Tkachov/AFP/Getty Images) The last time the two men met, they signed a “borderless” friendship agreement between their two countries. Three weeks later, Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian president’s comments suggested a Chinese shift toward a more critical stance, at least privately. Ian Bremer, a political science professor at Columbia University, said it was “the first public sign that Putin recognizes the pressure to back down.” “Russia has become a pariah to the G7 because of their invasion. China wants no part of this,” he tweeted, referring to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations. White House spokesman John Kirby said China must reject the Russian invasion: “The whole world must rally against what Mr. Putin is doing,” Kirby told CNN. “This is not the time for any kind of business as usual with Mr. Putin.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later told reporters that the closed-door talks with China had been excellent.
“European friends” of Kiev
In Kyiv, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where she told him that the process of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union was on track. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv ahead of a press conference on Thursday. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images) Ukraine became a candidate for EU membership in June, in a bold geopolitical step hailed by both Kyiv and Brussels as a “historic moment”. Von der Leyen said the European Union would never be able to match the sacrifices Ukrainians are making or compensate them for their fight for democracy and humanity, but pledged to “have your European friends by your side as long as necessary.” . EU sanctions on Russia are having a deep and visible impact, he said, and although support is expensive, “freedom is priceless”. After a week of the fastest Ukrainian gains since the first weeks of the war, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces were now building up defenses and that it would be difficult for Kiev’s troops to maintain their pace of advance. Putin has yet to publicly comment on the setback his forces have suffered since last week’s rapid push of Ukrainian troops to the front line. Russian troops have hastily abandoned dozens of tanks and other armored vehicles. Kyiv says it has recaptured more than 8,000 square kilometers, roughly equivalent to the size of the island of Cyprus. The speed of the advance has boosted Ukraine’s morale, thanked Western backers for providing weapons, intelligence and training and raised hopes of further major gains before winter sets in.
More challenges for Ukraine
Serhiy Gaidai, governor of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, said it would still be a tough fight to wrest control of his region from Russia, which recognizes it as an independent state controlled by separatists. Cars destroyed amid Russian attacks in Ukraine are seen on a street near apartment buildings in Kharkiv’s Saltivka district on Thursday. (Leo Correa/The Associated Press) Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defense council, said in an online post: “We must avoid euphoria. There is still a lot of work to be done to liberate our territories and Russia has a large number of weapons.” There was no respite in Russia’s daily missile strikes into Ukraine either, a day after it fired cruise missiles at a reservoir dam near Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown. Authorities in the city of Kharkiv said Russian shells hit a high-pressure natural gas pipeline, while a rescue operation was underway in the city of Bakhmut with four people suspected to be trapped under rubble after a strike. he said. Russian forces had launched attacks on several settlements on the Kharkiv front line in the past 24 hours, the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on Thursday. However, the British Ministry of Defense said in a briefing that Ukrainian forces continue to consolidate their control over newly liberated territory in the region. The United States on Thursday imposed new sanctions on 22 individuals and two entities that had facilitated Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Treasury Department announced. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had earlier warned Washington to tread carefully, saying any decision to supply Kyiv with longer-range missiles for the US HIMARS systems would cross a “red line” and make the United States “a direct party in the conflict”. .” The 35-nation UN Council of Governors has adopted a resolution calling on Russia to end its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, diplomats said at the closed-door meeting.
