The Biden administration spent three months trying to persuade China To say Vladimir Putin not to invade Ukraineonly to be told by Chinese officials that they were not convinced by their intelligence and that they did not think Moscow was about to launch an invasion.
In fact, after an exchange, American officials realized this Beijing he had shared the information with Moscow, telling the Russians that Washington was trying to sow discord.
Russian troops entered Ukraine on Wednesday night as Putin moved forward with his well-choreographed plan.
A day later, Biden was asked directly if he was working with China to try to isolate Russia.
“I am not ready to comment on this at the moment,” the president replied.
According to New York Timeshis administration’s contact with Beijing began in November after the president held a video summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The two leaders agreed to work together on health security, climate change and nuclear proliferation.
The leaders of Russia and China have met more than 30 times since 2013, and relations are believed to be at their best in decades as they line up to oppose NATO enlargement.
Soldiers ride in a Russian armored vehicle in Armyansk, Crimea, on February 25, 2022.
People pass by smoldering destroyed Russian military vehicles on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, February 25, 2022. Russian troops stormed the Ukrainian capital on Friday, with gunfire and explosions echoing closer to the government district
Russian armor is now advancing on Kiev from the north and east, with US intelligence saying the plan is to besiege the city, seize an airport and launch paratroopers who will then attack the capital. The goal would be to take over the government and force them to sign a peace treaty that would restore control of the country to Russia or to a Russian puppet.
Officials then discussed whether the build-up of Russian troops around Ukraine could be an issue the two sides could try to tackle together.
Some were skeptical, but others thought it was worth trying anything that could deter a Russian attack, an official said.
White House officials met with the Chinese ambassador days later, telling him that US intelligence showed that Russian troops – including armored units – were surrounding Ukraine.
The meeting lasted more than 90 minutes, according to the newspaper, and officials told the Chinese diplomat that the United States plans to impose severe sanctions on Russian companies and employees if Russia invades – much tougher than in 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea.
Beijing’s trade ties with Russia would mean that its own economy will feel some effects, officials said.
And they said these ties would mean that China’s image in the world would also suffer if Putin continued to invade.
The New York Times reported that officials spoke with the ambassador at least three more times; Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also called, but Qin remained skeptical of intelligence and said Moscow had legitimate security concerns.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi about the issue in late January and this week on Monday, the same day Putin announced he was sending troops to two breakaway enclaves in Ukraine.
“The Secretary stressed the need to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the State Department said in a summary of the appeal.
In recent weeks, officials have also linked the date of Putin’s planned invasion to the Beijing Winter Olympics, warning that Russia could attack before the Games are over – hinting that China’s moment on the world sports scene could be tarnished.
By Wednesday night, it was clear that efforts had failed.
And subsequent statements by Beijing show that he was not impressed by the US warnings.
For example, he talked to Putin on the phone on Friday.
“It is necessary to abandon the mentality of the Cold War, to take into account and respect the legitimate concerns for the security of the countries and through negotiations to form a balanced, effective and sustainable mechanism [for ensuring] “European security,” Xi told Putin, according to China Central Television.