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China calls US ‘main instigator’ of Ukraine crisis

Moscow says Switzerland can't represent Kyiv in Russia


August 12, 2022 00:00:00


A file photo showing Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) shaking hands with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the Kremlin in Moscow — Reuters

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Reuters/AFP): China, which Russia has sought as an ally since being cold-shouldered by the West over its invasion of Ukraine, has called the United States the "main instigator" of the crisis.

In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS published on Wednesday, China's ambassador to Moscow, Zhang Hanhui, accused Washington of backing Russia into a corner with repeated expansions of the NATO defence alliance and support for forces seeking to align Ukraine with the European Union rather than Moscow.

"As the initiator and main instigator of the Ukrainian crisis, Washington, while imposing unprecedented comprehensive sanctions on Russia, continues to supply arms and military equipment to Ukraine," Zhang was quoted as saying.

Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Beijing in February to meet President Xi Jinping as Russian tanks were massing on the Ukrainian border, agreeing what both states hailed as a "no limits" partnership superior to any Cold War alliance. In the interview, Zhang said Sino-Russian relations had entered "the best period in history, characterised by the highest level of mutual trust, the highest degree of interaction, and the greatest strategic importance".

He railed against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit last week to self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own, and said the United States was trying to apply the same tactics in Ukraine and Taiwan to "revive a Cold War mentality, contain China and Russia, and provoke major power rivalry and confrontation".

An AFP report adds: Russia said on Thursday that Switzerland has lost its neutral status and cannot represent Ukraine diplomatically in Russia, blaming Bern's decision to impose sanctions on Moscow. Switzerland said on Wednesday that Ukraine had asked Bern to represent it in Russia.

"Unfortunately, Switzer-land has lost the status of a neutral state and cannot act either as a mediator or as a representative of interests," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Ivan Nechayev told reporters.


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