China announces its "firm opposition" to American and European pressures regarding Ukraine
On Friday, September 5, China expressed its firm rejection of any attempt to drag it into the Ukrainian crisis or to exert economic pressure on it, in response to statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who called on Washington's European allies to apply such pressures.
The Chinese response came from the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, who said at a press conference: "China is not the origin of this crisis, nor is it a party to it. We firmly oppose this trend of continuously dragging China into this issue, and we firmly oppose any alleged economic pressures on China."
This position comes a day after a video call that brought Trump together with leaders of the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine, which was held in Paris on Thursday. According to a senior White House official speaking to AFP, Trump during the discussions asked European leaders to "apply economic pressure on China due to its support for the Russian war effort," also stating that "Europe should stop buying Russian oil."
The Élysée Palace announced that the call involving coalition leaders, some of whom were present in Paris and others via video, began after 12:00 PM GMT, aimed at discussing security guarantees for Ukraine in any potential peace agreement with Russia.
On the sidelines of the Paris meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in the French capital with U.S. President's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
