China asked Russia to delay invasion of Ukraine until after Olympics, Western intel shows [View all]
Source: CNN
A Western intelligence report indicated that Chinese officials, in early February, requested that senior Russian officials wait until after the Beijing Olympics had finished before beginning an invasion into Ukraine, US officials said Wednesday.
US officials broadly view the report as credible, but its particulars are open to interpretation, according to one source familiar with the intelligence. Although the request was made around the time that President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Olympics — where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping — it is not clear from the report whether Putin addressed the matter with Xi directly, the source said.
Western intelligence officials warily watching Putin’s buildup on the Ukrainian border at the time had anticipated that Putin might delay any military action until after the Olympics to avoid angering China.
After Putin and Xi’s meeting, Moscow and Beijing issued a joint statement declaring that their partnership had “no limits” and condemning NATO expansion — a key pillar of Putin’s justification for attacking Ukraine.
That statement has elevated Western concerns about a burgeoning alliance between China and Russia.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-02-22/index.html
What drove these two enemies into each other's arms?
China's population and economy with Russia's nuclear arsenal and natural resources are a formidable combination.
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