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White House calls on China to condemn Russia: ‘This is not the time to be on the sidelines’

White House calls on China to condemn Russia: ‘This is not the time to be on the sidelines. The White House on Sunday (February 27) called on China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s onslaught against the neighbour continues. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian nuclear force to be put on high alert.

White House calls on China to condemn Russia: ‘This is not the time to be on the sidelines’

White House press secretary Shaqi said in an MSNBC interview that China has imposed some of the sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and made remarks last week in favour of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

But Shaqi made it clear that Beijing needed to do more.

“This is not the time to be on the sidelines. Now is the time to speak up and condemn President Putin’s actions and Russia’s invasion of a sovereign country,” Shaqi said in the interview.

She said U.S. President Joe Biden had not spoken to Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently but did not rule out the possibility of a future call.

“But history is being written, and a very important step for the Chinese leadership is to look at themselves and really assess where they intend to stand,” Shaqi said.

Beijing has rejected calling Moscow’s actions an “invasion” and urged restraint on all sides. Biden criticized it anonymously last week.

“Putin will be left out on the international stage. Any country that endorses Russia’s blatant aggression against Ukraine will be implicated,” Biden said. He did not name China.

Shaqi’s comments on Sunday were more direct. Just hours earlier, Putin had placed Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert in the face of a Western response to his war in Ukraine.

China is Russia’s largest trading partner in both exports and imports. In 2020, China bought a third of Russia’s crude oil exports. China also supplies Russia with manufactured goods such as mobile phones, computers, toys, and clothing.

The U.S., U.K., Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union last week added more sanctions on top of Russia’s penalties, including Germany’s suspension of certification of an $11 billion gas pipeline from Russia.

Sunbal Razzaq

Sunbal Razzaq is the founder & CEO of Sunshine Tips.

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