The two countries have professed an “endless” friendship, and at a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, Chinese and Russian officials appeared to be on very good terms, likely exacerbating Washington’s concerns.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met with the head of national security the day after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying relations between the nations were “solid as a rock.”
This contrasted with Saturday’s controversial meeting between Mr Wang and Secretary of State Anthony Brinken, who said China’s supply of arms to Russia would be a “serious problem” for the United States. Told. Superpower.
China has refused to join the bulk of the international community condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, instead criticizing sanctions imposed on Russia, echoing Moscow’s claims that the US and NATO provoked the Kremlin. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to visit Moscow in the coming months.
President’s trip:Biden calls Putin’s suspension of New START a ‘huge mistake’. What is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?
“China-Russia relations have stood the test of international turmoil, are mature and enduring,” Wang said Wednesday.
Concerns about the relationship leading to China’s military aid to Russia not only stack the odds against Ukraine, but extend to the potential for the conflict to escalate into a larger conflict.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Associated Press that there were “some indications” that China could be preparing to provide weapons to Russia, adding that the alliance was “needed.” “We will support Ukraine as long as we can,” he said.
Impact of sanctions:Russia Can’t Produce Enough Weapons For Its Needs: Live Update
development:
EU representatives will meet again on Thursday after failing to agree Wednesday on a new sanctions package against Russia intended to coincide with Friday’s one-year anniversary of the invasion of Moscow. Reuters reported.
► Ukraine has issued an order to suspend all transactions related to assets owned by Russian financial institutions. This decree has been in place for 50 years and prohibits establishing business relationships, transactions and investments with Russian banks.
► Investigators have so far identified at least 91 Russian soldiers implicated in war crimes in and around the town of Bucha, where more than 1,700 civilians were killed, said Ukrainian Andrei Kostin. the attorney general said Wednesday.
► The International Federation of Journalists suspended membership of the Union of Russian Journalists. Federal president Dominique Pradalie said the efforts of Russian journalists to establish union chapters in annexed Ukraine territory “clearly shattered unity and sowed the seeds of division between sister unions”. rice field.
Minimal impact of sanctions on Russian economy
The global sanctions that began with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago have slowed Russia’s economy but not crippled it, experts say.
The Russian economy will contract by 2.2% in 2022. This is well below his prediction of more than 15% projected by the Biden administration and other Western economists. According to the International Monetary Fund, the economy is projected to outpace the UK this year, growing 0.3%, while the UK faces a contraction of her 0.6%.
The EU’s head of foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, said the Russian economy survived thanks to high energy prices.
“But this is over,” he said. Russia sells crude at $40 a barrel, half the price of Brent on the international market.”
Putin wants to absorb Belarus by 2030
Putin’s imperial plans do not end with the annexation of some or all of Ukraine.
Russia also plans to absorb neighboring Belarus, according to a document stating that the Kremlin will take over Belarus’ political, economic and military affairs by 2030.
The 17-page document, produced in 2021, was obtained through the cooperation of journalists from several national news outlets, including Yahoo News in the United States and Kyiv Independent in Ukraine.yahoo said Leaked from Putin’s presidential palace.
The document details plans to complete the merger of the two countries into a Moscow-dominated federal state, unifying the tax system and currency of Belarus, an independent state of nine million people under strong Russian influence. There is
“Russia’s goals with Belarus are the same as with Ukraine,” US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter told reporters. “Only in Belarus does it rely on coercion, not war, whose ultimate goal is still large-scale incorporation.”
Founder of mercenary group steps up criticism of Russian military leader
The founder of Russia’s mercenary militia stepped up a social media attack on Moscow’s military leadership on Wednesday, publishing photos of dead soldiers and accusing the Kremlin of failing to provide enough ammunition to the Wagner group.
Evgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur and aide to President Vladimir Putin, said Wednesday in Telegram.
The post comes a day after Prigozhin issued an audio statement claiming “direct resistance” from the Russian military. tried to kill wagnerHe added that the actions of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov “can be compared to high treason at the very moment when Wagner loses hundreds of fighters every day.” rice field.
The Ministry of Defense reprimanded Prigozhin in a statement late Tuesday, saying that properly equipping the mercenary group was a priority.
“Attempts to create fissures in the close mechanisms of cooperation and support between Russian military units are counterproductive and only support the enemy,” the ministry said.
Finland decides whether to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine
Finnish authorities are expected to decide on Thursday a proposal to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks. Finland is believed to have about 200 tanks, but also has her 800-mile border with Russia for defense. Finland has asked to join NATO, but has not yet been accepted, so NATO will not commit to fully assisting Finland’s defense should Russia invade.
Finland and Sweden seek to join but are blocked by Turkey and Hungary. Hungarian media reported that the Hungarian parliament will ratify the two countries’ NATO membership early next month. Turkey took a more conciliatory stance this week – after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavsoglu discussed a possible US purchase of his F-16 aircraft with US Secretary of State Antony Brinken.
See the Ukrainian frontline up close
Ukrainian military officials say US weapons are making a big difference in their efforts to repel a Russian aggression. To underscore the value of the weapon, a senior Ukrainian military intelligence officer and several Special Forces soldiers guided USA TODAY reporters in mid-February, A secret spot on a ridge a few miles from the frontline town of Bakmutlocated in the mineral-rich eastern Donbass region of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian lieutenant colonel stood on the frozen ground near what he considered one of the Ukrainian military’s most prized possessions, an American-made M777 howitzer. A powerful, towable, and easily concealed long-range artillery weapon.
“This weapon changed the trajectory of the war for us,” he said. Click here for details.
– Kim Helmgard
It’s hard, but they hold up: On Ukrainian soil, war depends on US weapons
Biden wants to ease Bucharest Nine concerns
President Biden wrapped up his historic visit to Ukraine and Poland on Wednesday after meeting with the leaders of the Bucharest Nine in Warsaw. 2014.
Alliance members, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, fear they could be the next contenders if Russia succeeds in Ukraine. House has consistently praised Poland and several other Eastern Bloc countries for aiding Ukraine with arms and economic aid and hosting refugees.
Contributed by Associated Press
deeper dive
•“It’s tough, but they’re trying.” On Ukrainian soil, war depends on US weapons
• “We will never be the same”:Displaced Ukrainian children at risk of erosion in schools and mental health
• ‘Kiev is Strong’: Biden Declares Putin ‘Wrong’, Marks Year of Russia’s War in Ukraine
• Putin suspends nuclear weapons ban treaty, lashes out at Western powers in Ukraine war
• Joe Biden walks the streets of Kiev with surprise visit to Ukraine ahead of Russia’s Invasion Day
• They counted the days until they could return to Ukraine.Now I don’t know if they will come back
• Ukraine’s Biden: See president’s photo in Kiev, almost a year after Russian aggression