Tension flares between US-led NATO-China over Ukraine conflict

A senior US-led NATO official has accused China of failing to denounce Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict and to follow the lead of Western countries vis-à-vis the months-long crisis in eastern Europe.

Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, clashed with a Chinese envoy after he said that China is "undermining the rules-based international order," and that Beijing does not share "the West’s values."

He Rulong, China’s Ambassador to Iceland, hit back saying that the admiral’s remarks are filled with arrogance.

The NATO official, who was speaking at the annual Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland, said Beijing insists that it supports “the principle of sovereignty and the importance of the internationally recognized borders in the world… So why is it possible then that China still is not condemning Russia’s attack in Ukraine?”

Rulong said China regards the Ukraine crisis through a historical perspective and urged the West to “understand the root cause” of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, according to Bloomberg.

China has not jumped on the bandwagon to join certain Western countries in condemning and sanctioning Russia for its military operation in Ukraine, which started in February.

Beijing has slammed US-led NATO for pushing tensions between Moscow and Kiev to a “breaking point,” and has repeatedly said that Western countries and Ukraine failed to address Russia’s “legitimate security concerns.”

The war in Ukraine began after President Putin launched a military operation on February 24 to “demilitarize” two eastern Ukrainian regions amid Kiev's vaulting ambitions to join NATO, which Moscow deems a redline.

Russia has repeatedly warned Ukraine against its NATO membership proposals, calling the move “purely destabilizing.” Moscow has also warned the alliance against its further expansion towards Russia’s borders.

ME