Russia on Friday earned the
backing of China in its tussle with the West over Ukraine, as Beijing agreed
with Moscow that the US-led NATO military alliance should not be deployed in
Ukraine.  Since Russia deployed ten
thousand troops along its borders with Ukraine, NATO troops proceeded with
aggression to negate the tension.

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According to AP, both countries agreed and
issued a joint statement after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese
premier Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Winter
Olympics in Beijing. Putin hailed the relationship between two countries as a
“dignified relationship”.

Both Russia and China,
releasing a long document, lambasted the US for interfering in the
Ukraine-Russia border issue.  

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“The parties oppose the
further expansion of NATO and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon
the ideological approaches of the Cold War era,” the document read, urging
respect for the “sovereignty, security and interests of other countries.”

Western powers vow to impose sanctions on Russia

Western powers have accused
Russia of deploying some 100,000 troops on the borders of pro-Western Ukraine
in preparation for an invasion and have vowed to impose devastating sanctions
on Moscow if it attacks.

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Meanwhile, German Chancellor
Olaf Scholz became the latest European leader to announce a visit to the region
on Friday, saying he would go to Ukraine on February 14 and Russia the next
day.

French President Emmanuel
Macron will visit Moscow on Monday and Kyiv on Tuesday for talks with his
Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.

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Friday’s meeting between Putin
and Xi came after Washington said that it had evidence of a plan by Moscow to
film a fake Ukrainian attack on Russians to justify an attack on its neighbour.

Pentagon spokesperson John
Kirby said the US had “information that the Russians are likely to want to
fabricate a pretext for an invasion”, but did not provide evidence.

Also Read: US intel: Russia trying frame Ukraine through false attack to justify invasion

Russia, which has repeatedly
denied any invasion plans, said the US claims were absurd.

“The delusional nature
of such fabrications — and there are more and more of them every day — is
obvious,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in televised remarks.