Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use nuclear weapons during the invasion of Ukraine, with Beijing now determined to take credit for keeping Moscow's nuclear threats in check, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.
The British news outlet reports that China is determined to demonstrate that they are making it clear to Putin that the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine is off the table.
“The Chinese are taking credit for sending the message at every level,” the FT quoted a senior US administration official as saying.
According to the FT, Ukraine and its allies remain skeptical due to the close relationship between Russia and China. Despite this, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has lauded China's anti-nuclear effort, saying it “reduces the risk of nuclear war and they [the Chinese] have made it very, very clear.”
How did the Kremlin respond to the claims that Xi warned Putin not to use nukes?
The Kremlin said on Wednesday it could not confirm the FT report Xi had personally warned Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
The FT said Xi delivered the message when he visited Moscow in March.
"No, I can't confirm it," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the report.
He said the two countries had issued statements at the time on the content of their talks, and "everything else is fiction."