China signals to EU it can’t accept Russia’s defeat in Ukraine war - media

CNN reports this, citing a source.

The statement was made during a meeting in Brussels with European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, where they discussed cybersecurity, trade imbalances, the Middle East, and Taiwan.

Wang Yi’s claim that China cannot accept Russia’s defeat in its war against Ukraine contradicts Beijing’s public stance of neutrality.

According to a CNN source, this may indicate China’s possible preference for a prolonged war in Ukraine, which hinders the U.S. from focusing more on its rivalry with China.

"They echo concerns of critics of China’s policy that Beijing has geopolitically much more at stake in the Ukrainian conflict than its admitted position of neutrality," the article adds.

At the same time, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry earlier the same day stated that China is "not a party to the Ukraine issue."

"China’s position on the Ukraine crisis is objective and consistent, that is, negotiation, ceasefire and peace. A prolonged Ukraine crisis serves no one’s interests," she said.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on April 17 that China is supplying weapons to Russia, specifically mentioning gunpowder and artillery.
• On June 26, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun claimed that Beijing has never supplied weapons to either side in the war in Ukraine.