China’s envoy to Moscow, Zhang Hanhui, backs Russia in Ukraine war, calls US ‘main instigator’ in crisis
- Beijing’s ambassador to Moscow, Zhang Hanhui accused Washington of pushing Russia into a corner with repeated expansions of Nato military alliance
- Meanwhile, heavy fighting raged around eastern Ukraine as Russia pressed its campaign to seize all of the industrialised Donbas region
Russia on Wednesday received powerful endorsement from China of its rationale for the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
China, which Russia has sought as an ally since being cold-shouldered by the West over its actions, has called the United States the “main instigator” of the crisis.
In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS published on Wednesday, China’s ambassador to Moscow, Zhang Hanhui, accused Washington of backing Russia into a corner with repeated expansions of the Nato defence alliance and support for forces seeking to align Ukraine with the European Union rather than Moscow.
“As the initiator and main instigator of the Ukrainian crisis, Washington, while imposing unprecedented comprehensive sanctions on Russia, continues to supply arms and military equipment to Ukraine,” Zhang was quoted as saying.
“Their ultimate goal is to exhaust and crush Russia with a protracted war and the cudgel of sanctions.”
The ambassador’s reasoning closely followed one of Russia’s own justifications of its invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and the devastation of entire cities, as well as driving more than a quarter of the population to flee their homes.