Financial Times: Xi Jinping personally warned Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The Kremlin denies this

Author:
Anhelina Sheremet
Date:

The leader of China Xi Jinping personally warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

This is reported by the Financial Times (FT) with reference to Western and Chinese officials.

Xi Jinping made the warning during his visit to Moscow in March. Deterring Putin from using such weapons was a central element of Chinaʼs campaign to repair strained ties with Europe, according to a senior Chinese government adviser. China has consistently opposed the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine in its public statements.

A Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine or one of its European allies could turn the continent against China, and continued pressure from Beijing to prevent a strike could help improve relations with the continent, according to a senior Chinese government adviser.

The Financial Times reports that Putin was disappointed after Xiʼs visit did not yield any tangible results for Russia, such as approval of the long-awaited "Power of Siberia — 2" pipeline, Western intelligence officials said. According to officials, the condemnation of the use of nuclear weapons in their joint communiqué was almost certainly added at Chinaʼs request.

Moscow denied that Xi Jinping had warned Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, CNN writes. Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said that "a lot of information was discussed as a result of this important visit, and the essence of the negotiations is clearly stated in the signed documents."

"The rest is fiction," he emphasized.