Chinese Foreign Ministry urges US to stop arms supplies to Ukraine

The US is only prolonging the conflict in Ukraine by supplying Kyiv with heavy offensive weapons. Washington should stop sending military hardware if the US truly cares about the people of Ukraine. This statement was made by the official representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning.

“The United States is the main initiator and main driving force of the Ukrainian crisis, they continuously supply heavy and offensive weapons to Ukraine, prolonging the conflict and making it more intense,” she said (quote according to RIA Novosti).

Mao Ning urged the US to stop “profiting from the war” and create conditions for peace talks between “interested parties.”

Earlier, the Chinese authorities have repeatedly stated that they will not impose sanctions against Russia and contribute to the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, Beijing called on the parties to peace and hinted at US responsibility for the situation in Ukraine.

On January 25, the United States announced the transfer of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, specifying that the delivery of military equipment will take months. By data The Washington Post, the tanks will not arrive in Ukraine until the end of 2023. US President Joe Biden said that the volume of the new military aid package will be $400 million.

Against the background of reports about the transfer of tanks to Kyiv in the Kremlin indicated to strengthen the direct involvement of Western countries in the conflict in Ukraine. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation notedthat Washington decided to supply Kyiv with Abrams tanks in order to “level the NATO line.” They also criticized the US position that such actions are not an escalation. According to Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov, “this is a denial of the obvious.”

Earlier today Ryabkov declaredthat after the decision of the West to transfer tanks to Ukraine, it is pointless to negotiate with Kyiv. Prior to this, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had long ceased to be a possible interlocutor for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.