US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker is convinced that China is currently providing Russia with crucial support in its war against Ukraine, and therefore, in his assessment, Beijing could stop the fighting with a single phone call to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
Bloomberg writes about this.
“China could call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and stop selling him dual-use technology,” Whitaker said during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on February 13.
He also stressed that Beijing could stop purchasing Russian oil and gas, stressing that the war in Ukraine is “fully supported by China.”
According to the publication, the partnership between China and Russia has significantly strengthened since the start of the full-scale war, as Moscow depends on Chinese supplies of parts and components for the production of drones and other military equipment.
In addition, China has once again become one of the largest buyers of Russian crude oil, despite increasing international pressure on this critically important sector for Moscow. In particular, according to monitoring data, in January about 1.65 million barrels of oil arrived at Chinese ports daily – this is a record volume since March 2024 and the second highest figure since the start of a full-scale war.
At the same time, Beijing has repeatedly emphasized its desire to play a “constructive” role in resolving the crisis, Bloomberg adds.
As a reminder, on February 13, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
He called the meeting “meaningful and productive.” In particular, the parties discussed ways to develop mutually beneficial trade and bilateral ties “based on mutual respect for territorial integrity.” Sibiga also expressed gratitude to Beijing for its decision to provide Ukraine with an additional package of humanitarian energy assistance.