International protest storm.
(Photo: imago images/UPI Photo)
Beijing, Istanbul, Stockholm, Bangkok Almost unanimously on Thursday, the world sharply condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The cautious words in Beijing were all the more noticeable. Asked whether China condemned Russia’s invasion, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman evaded a news conference, saying the word “invasion” was being used in a biased manner. Even when asked, she did not want to describe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as such.
Beijing’s words also sound more like support for Moscow in other respects: According to his ministry, Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured his counterpart Sergey Lavrov in a telephone call that the People’s Republic understands Russia’s concerns about security issues. However, China calls for the creation of a balanced, effective and sustainable security mechanism in Europe through dialogue and negotiations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow later said that the ministers had “expressed their common conviction that the reason for the current crisis is Kiev’s refusal, encouraged by the United States and its allies, to implement the Minsk package of measures approved by the UN Security Council .”
Beijing is clearly siding with Moscow. “Collaborating with Russia is currently in China’s interest, and a further escalation in Ukraine will not change that for the time being,” says Janka Oertel, head of the Asia program of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
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Experts suspect that China will support Russia in cushioning the new sanctions. So it could help with the financial sanctions against Moscow with its state-owned banks. In addition to the economic agreements that have already been concluded, further ones could be concluded in order to support the Russian economy.
Shake hands with Putin
At the same time, Beijing is avoiding a position that is too clear, and has not recognized the annexation of Crimea. “China will continue to try as far as possible to remain neutral in public statements,” believes Asia expert Oertel. “In secret, however, China will definitely help to circumvent the financial sanctions, for example.”
Even the head of government of the South Asian nuclear power Pakistan, Imran Khan, does not deviate from Moscow and shook hands with Putin in front of the cameras on the afternoon after the invasion in the Kremlin. He thus provided the government in Moscow with symbolic images that were intended to show that Putin is not without international friends even after the start of the war.
The two spoke about the construction of a 1,100-kilometer gas pipeline in Pakistan, which is to be built with Russian help. Pakistan’s nemesis India also shares the desire to keep Russia as a cooperation partner. The country, which has been closely linked to Russia for decades, is dependent on Russian arms imports and has so far avoided any criticism of Russia’s attack.
However, clear criticism came from Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had long tried to be a kind of mediator between Russia and Ukraine, ruling out sanctions. Now, however, Ankara clearly condemned the Russian invasion. In a phone call with Putin, Erdogan said Turkey would not recognize moves against Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He offered to take a constructive stance on a diplomatic solution within NATO.
State of emergency in Lithuania
Particularly harsh criticism came from Ukraine’s neighbors: In Poland and the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, there is a growing fear that Russian aggression could eventually affect them too – their NATO membership does not change that. In Lithuania, President Gitanas Nauseda announced the introduction of a state of emergency. Lithuania borders Russia and Belarus.
More on the Ukraine war:
In Latvia, the broadcasting regulator revoked the broadcasting license of three Russian-language television channels with immediate effect. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Estands, Latvia and Lithuania called for “the toughest sanctions”, including Russia’s decoupling from the international payment service provider Swift. Russia must be “politically isolated”.