A Western intelligence report signifies Chinese language officers in early February requested senior Russian officers wait till after the Beijing Olympics had completed earlier than starting an invasion into Ukraine, US officers say.
US officers broadly view the report as credible, however its particulars are open to interpretation, in keeping with one supply aware of the intelligence.
Though the request was made across the time that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Olympics — the place he met with Chinese language President Xi Jinping — it isn't clear from the report whether or not Putin addressed the matter with Mr Xi instantly, the supply stated.
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The New York Instances first reported the existence of the report.
Western intelligence officers warily watching Putin's buildup on the Ukrainian border on the time and had anticipated he may delay any army motion till after the Olympics to keep away from angering China.
After Mr Putin and Mr Xi's assembly on the sidelines of the video games, Moscow and Beijing issued a joint assertion declaring that their partnership had "no limits" and condemning NATO enlargement — a key pillar of Mr Putin's justification for attacking Ukraine.
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That assertion has elevated Western considerations a couple of burgeoning alliance between China and Russia.
"The claims talked about within the related studies are speculations with none foundation, and are meant to blame-shift and smear China," Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese language embassy in Washington, stated.
CNN has reached out to the Russian embassy in Washington for remark.