Russian President Vladimir Putin did not warn Chinese President Xi Jinping about Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.
This is reported by the Financial Times (FT) with reference to sources among Chinese officials.
20 days before the start of full-scale war against Ukraine, Xi and Putin officially welcomed the "boundless" partnership between their countries during a meeting in Beijing.
But Xi was caught off guard by Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine because Putin did not warn him in advance, according to four people with knowledge of the meeting.
"Putin did not tell Xi the truth," a Chinese official told reporters at the Financial Times, adding that by doing so, the Russian president had put the safety of thousands of Chinese citizens in Ukraine at risk.
"If he had told us, we wouldnʼt be in such an awkward position. We had more than 6 000 Chinese citizens living in Ukraine, and some of them died during the evacuation..." an unnamed Chinese official noted.
In a speech in October, Putin confirmed that he had not told his "close friend" Xi about the planned invasion in February. The Russian president also noted that the strength of relations between Russia and China is "unprecedented."
- On November 14, Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
- Earlier, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang emphasized the "irresponsibility" of nuclear threats.