When China President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for peace negotiations in Moscow this week, the U.S. announced on Monday that it will provide Ukraine an additional $350 million in ammunition, guns, and military equipment.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned that “the world should not be deceived” by Xi’s peace negotiations with Putin as the United States presented its most recent gift to the Ukrainians to support their military effort against Russia. According to Blinken, the purpose of China and Russia’s strategy is to “freeze” the geographical gains that Russia has made since its incursion more than a year ago.
According to Bloomberg, Blinken stated “that maintaining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty must be the cornerstone of any strategy for putting an end to the conflict there and achieving a fair and lasting peace.”
As the West unites in opposition to Putin’s war in Ukraine, Xi’s arrival in Moscow on a “mission of peace” on Monday served as a signal that China-Russia relations are strengthening. Blinken’s remarks about China’s peace negotiations with Russia reaffirm those made by a different Biden administration official last week.
“A ceasefire at this time would essentially confirm Russia’s takeover,” according to John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council. “Although that seems completely rational and like a wonderful thing,” he added. “Russia would essentially be allowed to utilize that ceasefire to further bolster its positions in Ukraine, to rebuild its forces, re-man them, re-fit them, and retrain them in order to then resume strikes at a time of their choosing.”
Over $50 billion in military aid, including 31 Abrams tanks and cutting-edge long-range missile systems, has already been delivered to Ukraine by the Biden administration. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has lobbied for the United States and its allies to supply Ukraine combat jets, but the Biden administration has so far objected. In contrast, Blinken vowed on Monday that Russia “could end this war today,” but until it does, “we will stay united with Ukraine for as long as necessary.”
Comments are closed.