China dismisses US media report about Xi Jinping's alleged 'request' to Putin
Jan 23, 2022
Moscow [Russia], January 23 : US media reports about Chinese leader Xi Jinping's alleged request to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding Ukraine are a fake and a provocation, the Chinese Embassy in Russia said.
This comes after a US media report said that Xi Jinping had asked Putin not to invade Ukraine during the Olympics.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that this report is "not even a fake, but a special informational operation of corresponding American services."
"The Bloomberg publication saying that the head of China allegedly asked the head of Russia not to attack Ukraine during the Olympics, so as not to spoil the holiday, is a fake and a provocation," the Chinese embassy in Moscow said in a statement obtained by Russian news agency Sputnik.
The embassy emphasized that China supports a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict, in line with the Minsk agreements.
This controversy comes amid the Ukraine border crisis that has heightened tensions in Europe. Several western countries led by the US have accused Russia of amassing troops near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for an invasion.
Moscow is saying it has no intention of invading Ukraine while stressing that it has the right to move forces within its own territory.
