US President Joe Biden detailed “implications and consequences” to China should Chinese President Xi Jinping provide “material support” to Russia as Russian forces continues an assault against Ukraine, according to a White House description of the call between the two men.
A White House readout of the two-hour call on 18 March – days after President Biden characterised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal” – said the US president detailed American efforts “to prevent and then respond to the invasion, including by imposing costs on Russia.”
The president “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians,” while underscoring US support for a “diplomatic resolution to the crisis,” according to the White House.
A senior administration official told reporters following the call that President Biden “was candid and direct of his assessment with the situation and what he believes would be necessary in order to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.”
“The president really wasn’t making specific requests of China. He was laying out his assessment of the situation … and the implications of certain actions,” according to the official.
The call was part of what Biden administration officials described as “ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication” between the world’s two largest economies.
A readout of the call released by the Chinese foreign ministry reported Mr Xi as noting “new major developments in the international landscape” since the two leaders first met virtually in November 2021.
The statement said what China described as “the Ukraine crisis” was “not something we want to see”.
“The events again show that countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield. Conflict and confrontation are not in anyone’s interest, and peace and security are what the international community should treasure the most,” it added.
In February, Mr Xi and Mr Putin announced their respective nations had entered into a “no limits” partnership meant as a counterweight to alliances between the US and other democracies such as Nato.
But it’s unclear whether Beijing has deemed assistance with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to be part of that partnership, though Moscow is reported to have asked China for weapons and other military materiel, including ready-to-eat meals for troops.
This is a developing story
