Russia and China
Russia and China called for the halt of the NATO invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed this during a meeting. The increasing alienation of the west for both countries seems to have pushed them even closer.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the two leaders “had an in-depth and thorough exchange of views on China-Russia relations and a series of major issues concerning international strategic security and stability.”
China seemed to be empathetic of Moscow’s current troubles with the west. Russia requests NATO to stop expanding its footprint along Russian borders. Russia and China agree on these terms.
The meeting took place as President Putin and President Xi were attending the Beijing Olympics. Most western leaders are not present due to a political boycott. The boycott was made to condemn the human rights violations in China.
Press Release
In an English-translated press release Russia and China “believe that certain States, military and political alliances and coalitions seek to obtain, directly or indirectly, unilateral military advantages to the detriment of the security of others”. They added, “oppose further enlargement of NATO and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon its ideologized cold war approaches, to respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their civilizational, cultural and historical backgrounds, and to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards the peaceful development of other States”.
On Monday, China was the only member of the United Nations Security Council to vote alongside Russia to dismiss a council meeting called by the US to discuss Russia’s military build-up at the Ukrainian border.
Due to the current tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border, Europe fears that Russia will leverage its natural gas supply. Russia provides around 30% of the European Union’s natural gas, with supplies from the country playing a vital role in power generation and home heating across central and eastern Europe. If Russia would withhold the supply, it could send Europe into an economic crisis.