Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today (Monday) that it is very important that China does not support Russia in its war against his country, since “if China forms an alliance with Russia, a world war will break out.”
Dramatic visit to Ukraine: Biden arrived in Kiev and met with President Zelensky
Beijing denied claims it was considering aid to Russia, after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday of the consequences of his country’s entry into the ongoing conflict.
Blinken said after the meeting that Washington was concerned that Beijing was considering supplying weapons to Moscow ahead of Yi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
“For us, it is important that China does not support the Russian Federation in this war,” Zelensky told the German daily Die Welt. “Actually, I would like it to be on our side. But right now I don’t think it’s possible.”
“But I do see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here,” he added. “Because if China forms an alliance with Russia, there will be a world war, and I do think that China is aware of that.”
Zelensky’s warning of a third world war comes on the day that US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine. Biden promised $500 million in fresh arms shipments and “unwavering” American support ahead of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion on Friday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: “It is the United States, not China, that is sending weapons to the battlefield endlessly. We call on the United States to seriously reflect on its actions, do more to ease the situation, promote peace and dialogue, and stop shifting blame and spreading false information.”