President Biden is expected to urge China’s President Xi Jinping not to send military aid to support Russia’s war in Ukraine in a phone call Friday morning, the first contact between the leaders since the conflict began.
The call follows a lengthy and tense meeting between the countries’ national security officials earlier this week in Rome. The potentially difficult call on Friday could mark a pivotal moment in Russia’s war against Ukraine and Washington’s long-term relations with Beijing.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Thursday that Biden would “make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression.”
The call began at at 6:03 a.m. Pacific, the White House said.
As the West has rallied around Ukraine’s cause, imposing severe economic sanctions against Russia, President Vladimir Putin has become increasingly isolated and desperate. Russian forces, somewhat surprisingly, have been hammered by fierce Ukrainian resistance and failed to make deep incursions into the country after more than three weeks of fighting.
Given the way the war has gone, China offers Russia one of its last economic and military lifelines.
And while there is no question that Xi and Putin have been aligned on many issues, Beijing must balance its allegiance to a weakened autocrat against its relationships with major trading partners and the long-term risks of escalating a major conflict with the U.S. and Europe.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
