China pledged to work more closely with Moscow on January 22, while U.S. President Joe Biden reinforced security promises for NATO’s eastern members.
Wang Yi, the highest-ranking Chinese official, visited to Russia and conveyed to Putin Beijing’s readiness to strengthen relations.
During the meeting with nine eastern NATO members in Warsaw, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine had altered the continent’s security situation. Biden reassured the members that the United States was committed to defending the entirety of the Alliance’s territory.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern that Beijing is contemplating deepening its partnership with Moscow by providing “lethal support” to the Russian military as it readies for an anticipated new offensive.
The day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was withdrawing from a nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States, Putin’s deputy foreign minister attempted to ease fears by claiming that the decision would not increase the likelihood of a nuclear war.
