Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Beijing on Friday to attend the Winter Olympicsopening ceremony, but in addition to satisfy with China's chief, Xi Jinping. China and Russia have grown a lot nearer in recent times as they've turn out to be extra estranged from the West, and extra at odds with the U.S.
The 2 leaders met simply days after Putin dug his heels in additional deeply in his high-stakes standoff with the U.S. and NATO over Moscow's buildup of troops and weapons alongside Ukraine's borders.
The U.S. accused Putin on Thursday of plotting a so-called "false-flag" operation in Ukraine, alleging that covert operatives have been already in place and dealing to create a pretend video depicting an assault that Russia may use as a pretext to invade its neighbor.
The Biden administration didn't present any direct proof of the plot for public consumption, however insisted that intelligence gathered by the U.S. and its companions reveals Russia is working with "disaster actors" inside Ukraine to create such a video.
State Division spokesman Ned Value advised an Related Press reporter, who urged the U.S. authorities's assertion alone wasn't sufficient, that if he needed to query "the credibility of the U.S. authorities, the U.Okay. authorities and different governments and discover solace in data that the Russians are placing out, that's so that you can do."
Ukrainian and American officers have warned for weeks that Russia may use such ways — which might embody cyberattacks and staged violence inside Ukraine supposed to create chaos and erode confidence in its authorities. Russia is thought to favor these secretive strategies, and it has used them earlier than, together with in Ukraine.
Officers in Kyiv stated on Friday that the Biden administration had shared its intelligence on the purported Russian plot to stage a propaganda video, and that they have been ready to study extra.
The Biden administration stated it went public with the knowledge within the hope of deterring Russia from utilizing such ways.
If Putin did resolve to assault Ukraine — regardless of his authorities insisting every day that it has no plans to take action — China's help may very well be essential to Russia, says CBS Information senior international correspondent Holly Williams.
The U.S. has threatened to answer any Russian invasion of Ukraine with swift and extreme sanctions. China, with its large financial system, may assist offset the impression of worldwide sanctions on Russia, whether or not they goal banks or the nation's provide chains.
China has additionally been more and more at odds with the U.S. over its human rights document, its mounting intimidation of Taiwan and different smaller neighbors, and its crackdown on what had been, till a few yr in the past, the semi-autonomous, democratic enclave of Hong Kong.
Putin met privately with China's Xi Jinping earlier than the opening ceremony in Beijing, and the leaders issued a joint assertion afterward displaying a united entrance within the face of Western criticism. The assertion, posted on the Kremlin's web site, sought to painting Russia and China not as challengers of democracy and freedom on the world stage, however as purveyors of it.
With out naming any adversaries explicitly, the message was clear: The world is altering, and China and Russia will not be held again.
"Some forces representing a minority on the world stage proceed to advocate unilateral approaches to fixing worldwide issues and resort to energy politics, follow interference within the inside affairs of different states, damaging their authentic rights and pursuits, scary contradictions, disagreements and confrontation," the assertion stated.
The joint message on democracy got here from two international locations the place dissidents are persecuted for voicing opposition to the federal government.
"Democracy," they declared in unison, "isn't constructed on stencils. Relying on the socio-political construction, historical past, traditions and cultural traits of a selected state, its folks have the correct to decide on such varieties and strategies of implementing democracy that correspond to the specifics of this state. The proper to evaluate whether or not a state is democratic belongs solely to its folks."
The message, at face worth, could also be simple for the democratic West to dismiss: Russian and Chinese language folks don't "have the correct to decide on such varieties and strategies of implementing democracy" as they need, as neither nation has free and truthful elections and talking out towards the present "varieties and strategies" of governance typically ends badly for these courageous sufficient to strive it.
However placing apart the rhetorical flourish, there was a much more literal message within the joint assertion from China and Russia.
The 2 nations, it stated, "reaffirm their agency mutual help in defending their basic pursuits, state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose the interference of exterior forces of their inside affairs."