https://www.reuters.com/world/us-officials-say-china-asked-russia-delay-ukraine-war-until-after-beijing-2022-03-02/

 
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March 2, 20229:53 PM UTCLast Updated ago

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    World

China asked Russia to delay Ukraine invasion until after Olympics
-NYT

By Steve Holland

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2 minute read
2022 Beijing Olympics - Closing Ceremony

2022 Beijing Olympics - Closing Ceremony - National Stadium, Beijing,
China - February 20, 2022. The national flag of China and the flag of
the International Olympic Comittee are pictured during the closing
ceremony. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo

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WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - Senior Chinese officials told senior
Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the
end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the New York Times reported,
quoting Biden administration officials and a European official who
cited a Western intelligence report.

The Times said the intelligence report indicated senior Chinese
officials had some level of knowledge about Russia's plans or
intentions to invade Ukraine before Moscow launched the operation
last week.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that China had
made the request but declined to provide details. The source declined
to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

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"The claims mentioned in the relevant reports are speculations
without any basis, and are intended to blame-shift and smear China,"
said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington.

The U.S. State Department, the CIA and the White House National
Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

After weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Russia unleashed a
three-pronged invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south on
Feb. 24, just days after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics ended.

The intelligence on the exchange between the Chinese and Russian
officials was collected by a Western intelligence service and is
considered credible by officials reviewing it, the Times reported.

Senior officials in the United States and in allied governments
passed it around as they discussed when Russian President Vladimir
Putin might attack Ukraine but intelligence services had varying
interpretations, the Times said, adding that it was not clear how
widely the information was shared.

One official the Times said was familiar with the intelligence said
the material did not necessarily indicate the conversations about an
invasion took place at the level of Chinese President Xi Jinping and
Putin.

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Reporting by Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu and Michael Martina in
Washington; Writing by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris
Reese and Howard Goller

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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