Jinping personally warned Putin against a nuclear strike

There was encouraging news regarding Ukraine's nuclear security. Chinese President Xi Jinping has personally warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, indicating that Beijing is concerned about this war. The Financial Times reported this on Wednesday, July 5, citing officials from China and the West.

According to the interlocutors, the Chinese leader conveyed such a message to Putin during his state visit to Moscow in March this year. It is not known whether this warning has been repeated in recent days. But in any case, the Kremlin is unlikely to dare to deceive China, as it is too dependent on Beijing's policies amid the existing sanctions.

Sources point out that since then, Chinese officials have privately taken credit for convincing Vladimir Putin to abandon his veiled threats to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

A senior advisor to the Chinese government emphasized that deterring Putin from using nuclear weapons was central to China's campaign to restore ties with Europe.

It is noted that China has consistently opposed Russia's use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine in its public statements. However, many countries in the West doubt Beijing's commitment to such deterrence, given Xi's "unlimited" partnership with Putin and the Chinese "peace plan" that closely matches Russia's intentions for Ukraine.

At the same time, Xi's warnings to Putin give hope that China is backing up its public statements with rhetoric behind closed doors.

A senior U.S. administration official said that now "the Chinese are taking responsibility for sending messages (to Russia - ed.) at all levels."

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 06/07/2023