Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is to visit China for a state visit as fears grow that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will supply Russia with weapons. China’s foreign ministry said in a statement today that the country’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his counterpart in Belarus, Sergei Aleinik, that Beijing is willing to work with Minsk to strengthen political trust between the two countries.
News of the state visit comes after China outlined a set of ceasefire proposals to halt the fighting in Ukraine.
Beijing called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in a vaguely worded proposal released on Friday. Analysts have said it is unlikely to deliver results.
China claims to have a neutral stance over the war, but has also said it has a “no limits friendship” with Russia. Beijing has refused to criticise Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine or even refer to it as an invasion.
It has accused the West of provoking the conflict and “fanning the flames” by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.
More to follow…
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