What did China know concerning the invasion plans of Russia, and when did it realize it?
These questions come to thoughts after senior United States officers and one European official on Wednesday informed The New York Instances’ Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes that Chinese language officers urged their Russian counterparts to delay their invasion of Ukraine till after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The report, which stems from Western intelligence providers, recommend China was conscious of Russia’s warfare plans previous to the beginning of the invasion.
China, nevertheless, denies the allegations.
“These claims are hypothesis with none foundation, and are meant to blame-shift and smear China,” mentioned Liu Pengyu, the Chinese language Embassy spokesman in Washington.
The Olympics closing ceremony occurred Feb. 20. Russia despatched troops right into a separatist-held space of Jap Ukraine the following day. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine Feb. 24.