Beijing contradicts Washington Post informer “who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”
QUICK FACTS:
- China is criticizing Washington’s recent allegations as disinformation that Russia sought military assistance from China to conduct its special operation in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Monday, according to TASS.
- The Washington Post had claimed that a U.S. official told the news outlet that Russia had been seeking military aid and equipment from China.
- But WaPo did not reveal the identity of the official, claiming they “spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.”
- The unidentified official in WaPo’s reporting also “did not describe what kind of weaponry had been requested, or whether they know how China responded.”
- “The allegations on the matter disseminated by the US are false information,” China’s Lijian specified.
- According to the Chinese diplomat, lately Washington has been deliberately circulating misinformation about China regarding the developments in Ukraine.
- Lijian also noted that China’s stance on Ukraine is coherent and clear, namely that Beijing has always played a constructive role in the process of establishing peace and advancing negotiations.
WHAT ELSE CHINA SAID:
“Currently, it is essential that all sides exercise restraint, contribute to defusing the situation, and not add fuel to the fire, but rather promote a diplomatic settlement of the issue and not its escalation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, TASS reports.
BACKGROUND:
- A spokesman for President Putin blamed the West for provoking conflict and Russia’s attacks on cities, even as negotiations resumed with Ukraine over a potential ceasefire, The Times reports.
- A Tochka-U ballistic missile was launched into Donetsk, the capital of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), on Monday, officials said, according to RT News.
- DPR military spokesman Eduard Basurin said the missile was intercepted and destroyed mid-air, but one of its explosive parts managed to hit the city, officials reporting that at least 17 people were killed and 28 wounded.