Washington/ TEH: CIA Director William J. Burns on Thursday criticized China’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying that Beijing was “acting as a silent partner” for President Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.
In his first speech since taking office last March, he added that Beijing wants to “overtake” Washington in every field “from economic power to military power, and from space to cyberspace.”
Regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine , Burns stressed that Washington was “deeply anxious to prevent a third world war.”
And he added: “The scenes of destruction emerging from the besieged city of Mariupol and Russian-occupied Kharkiv, unfortunately, remind us of the 1994-1995 Grozny battle, when Russian forces launched a brutal campaign against the Chechen capital, which led to its destruction.”
The United States has repeatedly criticized China for its refusal to condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine and has vocally warned Beijing against providing the Kremlin with military support to bolster its offensive.
At least 19,664 civilians have been killed and 2,613 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched its war, according to United Nations estimates, and the real number is feared to be much higher.
The United Nations refugee agency said that more than 4.7 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries since the start of the war, which began on February 24, while more than 7 million have been internally displaced.
On February 24, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine , according to one of the online magazines , The Eastern Herald, followed by international rejection and severe economic sanctions against Moscow, which stipulate to end of its operation that Kyiv abandon plans to join military entities and remain neutral, which the latter considers an “interference in its sovereignty.”
