Pres. Joe Biden's Administration Handed China Intelligence on Russia's Invasion; China Told Russia the U.S. Intel: Report
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has handed over intelligence to China's government months before Russia's plans to invade Ukraine. The Biden administration was urging China to avert the Russian invasion.
However, China's officials rebuffed U.S. officials, saying that they did not think an invasion was underway. In December, U.S. officials got intelligence that China shared the said intelligence to Russia, according to The Daily Wire report.
When China handed over the U.S. intel to Russia, the Beijing government reportedly told Russians that the U.S. "was trying to sow discord," adding that China would not try to block Russian plans and actions.
White House officials also told China about the possible tough sanctions that they would impose on Russia and how those could negatively affect China due to their close ties with Russia.
U.S.-China Talks About Russia's Invasion
The account is based on senior administration officials' interview, who all have knowledge of the conversations. They spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the diplomacy.
The Chinese Embassy spokesman, Liu, Pengyu, said that China has promoted the political settlement process of the Ukraine issue for some time, according to The New York Times report.
China has been Russia's most powerful partner, with the two nations strengthening their bond for many years when it comes to the diplomatic, economic, and military sectors.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Xi Jinping in a call that the U.S. and NATO had ignored Russia's "reasonable" security concerns and had revoked their commitments.
Xi then repeated China's position, saying that it was important to respect the "legitimate security concerns," as well as the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of all countries.
Putin told Xi that Russia was willing to negotiate with Ukraine, while Xi said that China supported any such move.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ambassador to Japan is pushing China to join international talks to stop the Russian "massacre" in the country amid Beijing's lack of criticism of Russia's actions, according to the Associated Press News report.
Ukrainian diplomat Sergiy Korsunsky said that he believes China can play a much more active role to straighten it with Putin "in a manner we expect for civilized countries to do."
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China understands Russia's "legitimate concerns on security issues."
He then called for parties to "exercise restraint and avoid further escalation of the situation."
Russia-Ukraine Crisis
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian troops will try to take the capital city Kyiv during the night, according to an Aljazeera News report.
He then called special attention on Kyiv, saying that they cannot lose the capital.
The Ukraine leader said that he is turning to the defenders of the country on all fronts, adding that the enemy will use all the forces it has to barrage in through their defense in a "treacherous, harsh, and inhumane way."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Russian soldiers in Ukraine to "return their barracks."
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Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: China's Foreign Ministry says U.S. is fueling the fire and worsening the Russia-Ukraine conflict - from CNBC International TV