NATO officials have put the onus on China to urge its ally Russia to withdraw forces from Ukraine.
According to news monitored on CNN, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, who represented NATO member Canada while speaking at a press conference at the military alliance’s headquarters on Tuesday, said that if China “wants peace” then Beijing needs to “say to Russia to get out of Ukraine.”
She echoed earlier remarks made by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that China has a “moral duty” to contribute to peace during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and “cannot be siding with the aggressor.”
Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a high-profile state visit to Russia to “play a constructive role in promoting peace talks,” Beijing said at the time. But Xi stopped short of condemning Moscow’s invasion.
