EU slams China for siding with ‘aggressor’ Russia in Ukraine war

Name: Ukraine calls for emergency UN meeting as Putin says Russia will deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus
Uploaded: 2023-04-04T10:32:10.000Z
Duration: 3 min 15 s
Description: Ukraine calls for emergency UN meeting as Putin says Russia will deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus

European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said China’s support of Russia was ‘a blatant violation’ of Beijing’s UN commitments

His comments came ahead of a visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with French President Macron to China

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell shake hands during their meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Associated Press

Published: 6:32pm, 4 Apr 2023

The European Union’s foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at China for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine and called it “a blatant violation” of Beijing’s United Nations commitments.

“There cannot be siding with the aggressor,” Josep Borrell said. “There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (UN) Security Council to stand up in defence of international rules-based order and China has a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.”

Standing alongside visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was forceful in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being a partner to being a rival on the global stage.

The comments come just ahead of a visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with French President Emmanuel Macron to China, where both will press the point that EU-China relations will pivot on Beijing’s friendship with Russia.

Macron and von der Leyen are set to warn China against sending weapons to Russia during talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Even if Beijing says it is neutral in the war, Xi’s visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow two weeks ago had all the visuals and speeches of a meeting among trusted friends.

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Ukraine calls for emergency UN meeting as Putin says Russia will deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus

“They agreed on the need to not deploy nuclear arms abroad,” Borrell said of the Moscow meeting. “Some days later, Russia deployed tactical weapons, nuclear tactical weapons in Belarus,” he added, referring to an announcement by Putin of plans to deploy such weapons.