Beijing on Monday denied the ambassador to France’s remarks and said it respects the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet states.
“Each member state of the Soviet Union will have the status of a sovereign state after the dissolution of the Soviet Union,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said.
This contradicts Ambassador Lu Shay, who sparked outcry last week when he told the LCI France news network that the independence of these countries had not been legally established.
In a discussion of Russian-occupied Crimea, Lu said: – This is valid under international law, as there is no international agreement to cement its sovereign status. ”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, among the justifications for launching an invasion last year, said Ukraine is not a real country but part of Russia. China criticizes Western sanctions and buys Russian oil to help fund Putin’s war, while trying to demonstrate neutrality in the conflict.
The Chinese embassy in France said Lu was expressing his personal views, not those of the state, and that his remarks “should not be subject to overinterpretation.”
Nonetheless, the three former Soviet Baltic republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia requested clarification.
Another Russian Threat:Russia warns G-7 “idiots”.Russian Mercenaries Stop Taking POWs, ‘Kill Everyone on the Battlefield’: Update
Latest development:
An exploding drone was reportedly spotted in a forest near Moscow, although Russian officials in occupied Crimea said the military had fended off a Ukrainian attack on a major naval base on Monday.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group of mercenaries, said Ukrainian troops were pushed into the western part of Bakhmut, covering less than a square mile. His claims could not be independently verified.
►Russian invaders continue to steal grain, Ukrainian military chargedMoscow-installed authorities in the Berdyansk city of Zaporizhia said they were “trying to take out stolen goods by loading them onto enemy cargo ships.”
‘Hypocritical’ Russia mediates at Security Council meeting, fires anti-aircraft artillery
Russia’s tenure as chairman of the UN Security Council this month is a rotating one, with many embarrassments as the Kremlin defends an invasion of Ukraine against an organization whose purpose is to maintain international peace. A moment was born.
When Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presided over Monday, sitting next to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the level of discomfort soared.
Lavrov said the loss of faith in multilateralism was creating a situation even more dangerous than during the Cold War, and blamed the West for it.
“Let’s call a spade a spade. No one allowed a minority in the West to speak on behalf of humanity as a whole,” Lavrov said, pointing to the West’s participation in previous wars.
Linda Thomas Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, did not refrain from rebuttal.
“Today, our hypocritical convener, Russia, invaded neighboring Ukraine, attacking the heart of the UN Charter and all the values we hold dear,” she said. . The sacred principle that wars of aggression and territorial conquest will never be accepted. ”
Thomas-Greenfield also called for the release of two Americans detained in Russia, journalist Evan Gershkovich and businessman Paul Whelan.
US dissuaded Ukraine from major attack on Moscow, report says
US officials have dissuaded Ukraine from launching a major offensive against Moscow on February 24, one year into the war. The Washington Post reported on Monday.
Citing a classified document released on a game server by a Massachusetts National Guard officer, the newspaper said officials said Ukraine’s desire to strike on Russian territory and the need to avoid provoking Putin to use nuclear weapons. It is reported that they are trying to strike a balance between
Ukraine has not confirmed that it was behind the explosions and drone strikes inside Russia, but the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Major General Kirill Budanov, said the attacks will continue.
“This has shattered their illusion of security,” he told the Post in January. “There will be problems inside Russia until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.”
Ukrainians in occupied territories forced to accept Russian passports, UK says
As part of Russia’s efforts to unite the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Kremlin is forcing residents to accept Russian passports. The UK Ministry of Defense with the latest update.
This is one of the “Russification” tactics Moscow employed in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which supported the separatists before it invaded in February 2022, the foreign ministry said. He also referred to the southern province of Kherson, where residents would reportedly be “deported” and lose their property if they did not obtain Russian passports by June 1.
The ministry said the reason for the rapid integration was “to help paint the invasion as a success, especially in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.”
Contributed by Associated Press
