Beijing responded on Monday, February 10 to an accusation made the day before by the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken: the Chinese government denies considering supplying arms to Russia to support its offensive in Ukraine. These remarks were made by the head of American diplomacy after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on February 19 on the sidelines of the Conference on European Security in Munich, during which an exchange took place “Frank and direct”, according to American diplomacy.
“We talked about the war being waged by Russia and the concerns we have that China is planning to provide lethal support to Russia,” he accused on CBS. Asked what this would imply concretely, the head of American diplomacy replied: “Mainly weapons”. Secretary of State warns of ‘implications and consequences’ for China if it is found to be providing ‘material support’ to Russia in its war in Ukraine or helping it evade Western sanctions.
“We don’t accept the United States pointing fingers at China-Russia relations, much less exerting pressure and coercion,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs, accusing the United States of “spreading false information”.
The American vice-president, Kamala Harris, also questioned the neutrality displayed by China at the Munich conference. The United States is “troubled by the fact that Beijing has deepened its relations with Moscow since the beginning of the war”, she said. “Any move by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killings and further undermine a rules-based order,” the vice president warned.
The delivery of weapons by China to Russia would be a “red line” for the European Union, warned Monday in Brussels the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. He explained that the head of Chinese diplomacy had told him “that they were not going to do it, that they did not intend to do it, but we will remain vigilant”, he said. he said upon his arrival for a meeting with EU foreign ministers.
Macron promises he will support Zelensky’s peace plan
Emmanuel Macron promised Sunday January 19 to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, that he would support his peace plan “on the international scene”, during a telephone conversation between the two heads of state. He “reaffirmed his attachment to the ten-point peace plan proposed by the Ukrainian president and assured him that he would support this initiative on the international scene during the next diplomatic events”, indicated the Elysée.
They also “referred to the reminder made to European and NATO partners of the need to strengthen and accelerate military support to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people”, in reference to the conversations that have taken place in recent days. at the annual Munich security conference.
“I thanked the president for his understanding of our needs, and for this shared feeling that we must defend ourselves against Russian aggression without losing any opportunity and without wasting a week,” the Ukrainian president said in his daily message. to the nation.
This exchange took place after the interview granted by the French President to the Sunday newspaper, Le Figaro and France Inter, in which he claimed to want “the defeat” of Moscow against Ukraine, while warning those who want “above all to crush Russia”.
New victims in Kherson
Three people died and five were injured on Sunday, February 19, in Russian strikes near Kherson, in southern Ukraine, according to regional authorities. “On Sunday morning, the Russian army fired artillery at the village of Bourgunka,” the administration of the Kherson region said on Telegram. The village is located 60 kilometers northeast of Kherson, near the Dnieper River, which acts as a demarcation between the territories controlled by kyiv and those occupied by the Russian army.
“Three people died at the scene of the tragedy: a father, a mother and an uncle. Four other people were injured: a grandmother, an adult man, a girl […] and a boy,” the regional administration said.
Russian fire targeting the Kherson region has remained regular since the withdrawal of Moscow troops from the main city of the same name in mid-November. The Russian army is particularly targeting the energy infrastructure of this region, already largely damaged by a series of massive strikes that began in the fall after a series of setbacks on the battlefield. The Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk have indicated that nine people were injured in a Ukrainian bombardment on the eponymous city, occupied by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.