EU Leaders To Pressure China At Summit To Not Support Russia In Ukraine War
NDTV
The presidents of the European Commission and European Council will hold virtual talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and later President Xi Jinping.
EU and Chinese leaders meet for a first summit in two years on Friday with Brussels keen for assurances from Beijing that it will neither supply Russia with arms nor help Moscow circumvent Western sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.
In uncommonly open language, EU officials close to the preparations of the summit said any help given to Russia would damage China's international reputation and jeopardise relations with its biggest trade partners -- Europe and the United States.
The presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, will hold virtual talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and later President Xi Jinping.
An EU official said China's stance towards Russia would be the "million-dollar question" on Friday. Another pointed out that over a quarter of China's global trade was with the bloc and the United States last year, against just 2.4% with Russia.