Russia misrepresents China’s stance on war in Ukraine — ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stated this in its report.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the G20 Foreign Ministers' summit in South Africa on February 20.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official readout stated that Wang emphasized that China's approach to resolving the war in Ukraine focuses on addressing the war's "root causes."

At the same time, analysts note that the official statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs notably differed and stated that Lavrov said that Russia, not China, is committed to solving the "root causes" of the war.

“The Russian MFA's likely purposeful misattribution reflects Russia's attempt to align the PRC's position on the war fully with its own in an effort to bolster its international standing and to shape Russian domestic perceptions of Russia’s relationship with China,” ISW analysts suggest.

Russian officials have explicitly defined the "root causes" of the war as NATO's alleged violation of commitments not to advance eastward in areas near Russia's border, which indicates that the Kremlin remains committed to imposing its will and security interests on the United States and Europe and is not interested in compromising on this demand.

• China’s Foreign Ministry urged "all parties" in the Ukraine war to engage in peace talks, as U.S. and Russian diplomats meet in Saudi Arabia.