China pledged a deeper partnership with Russia on Wednesday, while US President Joe Biden reaffirmed security assurances for NATO’s “frontline” eastern members, as the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ratchets up global tensions .
However, a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was suspending its participation in a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Washington, his deputy foreign minister tried to calm nerves, saying the move would lead to nuclear war. Chances are not high.
Within Ukraine, schools took their classes online for the rest of the week amid fears of an escalation in Russian missile attacks a year after Moscow’s February 24 all-out assault that failed to topple the government and has long trapped .
Wang Li, the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Russia since the countries declared a “no borders” partnership weeks before the invasion, told Putin that Beijing was ready to enhance ties.
Beijing’s top diplomat said the time of crisis called for Russia and China to “steadily deepen our comprehensive strategic partnership”.
Putin said he looked forward to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow and a deeper partnership.
Xi is expected to give a “peace speech” on Friday, but Kiev says there can be no talk of peace as long as Russian troops remain in Ukraine.
“This senseless and criminal Russian war against Ukraine, Europe and the democratic world must end with the cleansing of all Ukrainian lands from Russian occupation and concrete guarantees of long-term security for our state, the whole of Europe and the whole world.” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia is due to start military drills with China in South Africa on Friday and has sent a frigate equipped with a new generation of hypersonic cruise missiles. A Russian official said on Wednesday that Russia would fire artillery but not missiles, whose speed makes it difficult to shoot down.
Russian aggression in Ukraine has changed the security situation in Europe, Polish President Andrzej Duda told a Warsaw meeting of nine eastern NATO members with Biden, who said Washington was committed to defending every inch of the alliance’s territory .