US president Joe Biden assured Nato states near Ukraine that his country had a “sacred commitment” to defend “every inch” of their territory, as Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s relations with China were reaching “new milestones”.
In advance of the first anniversary on Friday of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Mr Biden and nine leaders from Nato’s eastern flank reaffirmed support for Kyiv amid warnings from Moscow and Beijing that the war could become a bigger international conflict.
“The commitment of the United States to Nato ... is absolutely clear. Article Five is a sacred commitment the United States has made. We will defend literally every inch of Nato,” Mr Biden said in Warsaw on Wednesday, referring to the alliance’s mutual defence clause.
“This is an important moment ... to keep our alliance strong and to further deter aggression,” he said, two days after paying a surprise visit to Kyiv.
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“As Nato’s eastern flank, you are the frontline of our collective defence. You know better than anyone what is at stake in this conflict. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world.”
In a joint declaration Mr Biden and the presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia “reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and underscored their shared commitment to stand with the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes”.
[ Putin wants a decisive break between Russia and the WestOpens in new window ]
[ Biden’s surprise visit brings Kyiv to mysterious standstillOpens in new window ]
Meanwhile in the Kremlin, Mr Putin met China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and praised strengthening relations between the two countries, a day after he announced that Russia was suspending participation in its last nuclear arms control treaty with the US.
“Russian-Chinese relations are developing as we planned in previous years. Everything is progressing ... We are reaching new milestones,” Mr Putin said.
“Co-operation in the international arena between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China ... is very important for stabilising the international situation.”
China has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, and it uses similar rhetoric to Moscow when criticising what both claim are US-led attempts by the West to dominate world affairs.
“Together we support multi-polarity and democratisation in international relations. This fully meets the course of time and history; it also meets the interests of the majority of countries,” Mr Wang said.
Earlier, he told Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov: “Our relations are developing steadily and dynamically, and despite high turbulence in the global arena, we are demonstrating unity and readiness to defend each other’s interests.”
In a thinly veiled refence to the US, he also assured hawkish Russian security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev that their countries would work together to “resist all forms of unilateral bullying”.
Amid tension over the US shooting down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon, and Beijing insisting it was a weather-monitoring device, Washington has warned China not to supply weapons to Russia as it seeks to launch a new offensive in Ukraine.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said last Saturday he had spoken to Mr Wang to warn that arms deliveries to Moscow “would have serious consequences in our relationship”.
Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang said his country was “deeply worried that the Ukraine conflict will continue to escalate or even spiral out of control” and urged “certain countries to immediately stop fuelling the fire”.
China is said to have formulated a “peace plan” for Ukraine and its president Xi Jinping reportedly intends to make a speech about the conflict on Friday.
At a rally in Moscow Mr Putin said his troops in Ukraine were fighting “heroically” for Russia’s people and “historical lands” and said they are “supported by the whole country”.
Heavy fighting continued in eastern Ukraine and several-Kyiv controlled towns were shelled on Wednesday, including the country’s second city Kharkiv, where four explosions were heard and officials said two people had been injured.
