The US criticizes the meeting between Putin and Xi and calls on China to oppose Russia’s maneuvers

WASHINGTON, Sep. 15 (DPA/EP) –

The strategic communications coordinator for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, has criticized the recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Uzbekistan.

For the senior US official, “this is not the time to have any type of business with Mr. Putin as it has been up to now, given what he has done inside Ukraine,” thus urging Beijing to take a position on Russia and its maneuvers.

“The whole world should be aligned against what Putin is doing (…) China has to make a decision,” said Kriby, who pointed out that, although Beijing has not supported Moscow, it has not condemned the invasion either. from Ukraine.

“(The Chinese authorities) have not intervened to violate the sanctions, but neither have they intervened to materially support Putin,” the US National Security Council strategic communications coordinator acknowledged.

Finally, Kirby pointed out that the meeting in Uzbekistan was more important for Putin than for Xi because the Russian leader “is very under pressure”, with which he considers that the Russian president has tried to “please Beijing”.