British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pressing China to take a stand and condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the French news agency AFP reported.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Boris Johnson appealed to China, Moscow’s strategic ally, and other countries that had not taken a position, to join Western countries in condemning the Russian invasion.
“With the passage of time and the increasing number of Russian atrocities I believe it has become increasingly difficult and politically inconvenient for people, actively or passively, to tolerate Putin’s invasion,” the British leader said.
In his opinion, countries that do not want to make a decision face “big dilemmas”.
“I think doubts are starting to appear in Beijing,” he said.
The call echoes that of Ukraine, which urged China on Saturday to “condemn Russian barbarism” after new attacks that left dozens dead.
Ukraine and the USA are concerned about possible military assistance from China to Russia or seeing Beijing help Moscow circumvent Western sanctions.
Already on Friday, US President Joe Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping of the “consequences” for China of China’s aid to Russia.
On Saturday, Boris Johnson, addressing a Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, northern England, where Ukraine’s ambassador to London Vadim Prystaiko was present, said it was time to “choose between freedom and oppression”.
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