FT: Xi personally warned Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Kremlin reacts

The Financial Times has learnt this from European and Chinese officials.

The message was conveyed during Xi's state visit to Moscow in March, and Chinese officials took credit for convincing the Russian dictator to abandon a nuclear strike on Ukraine.

Deterring Putin from using such weapons was central to China's campaign to repair damaged ties with Europe, a senior Chinese government adviser said.

A former Chinese government official said Xi personally told Putin not to use nuclear weapons, noting that Beijing's stance was included in China's "peace plan."

If Russia were to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, “it’s all downside for China”, one official said.

Officials say that the condemnation of the use of nuclear weapons in the joint communique between Putin and Xi was almost certainly added at China's request.

What the Kremlin says

Speaking to Russian journalists, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not confirm the information that the Chinese leader warned Moscow against the use of nuclear weapons during his trip to Moscow in March 2023.

Putin's spokesperson stressed that a lot of information was provided following the visit - in the documents adopted and in press statements.

"Everything else is fiction," he said.

China's stance on the war in Ukraine

On 24 February, Beijing published a document with its position on a political settlement in Ukraine. The so-called Chinese peace plan describes Russia's war against Ukraine as "crisis".

In May, Chinese special envoy Li Hui visited Ukraine and spoke with President Zelenskyy. Later, he travelled to Moscow and a number of European countries to present his "peace plan".  The WSJ wrote that during the tour, China's special envoy called for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine by giving the seized territories to Russia. However, later the Chinese diplomat denied this information.

On 2 June, Li Hui also said that he had seen Ukraine and Russia's readiness for negotiations.

On 27 June, Chinese Ambassador to the EU, Fu Cong, when asked about supporting Ukraine's 1991 borders, said: "I don't see why not". The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted to the statement of its diplomat with restraint.