US and Australia call on Chinese authorities to influence Russia

The United States and Australia condemned Russia's weaponization of food in a joint statement on July 29, calling on world powers such as China to influence Russia's direction in the war on Ukraine.

Russia's recent withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has heightened fears of food insecurity globally, including in China.

The representatives encouraged China to "address issues of global and shared interest including climate change, global food and nutrition security, trade, and macroeconomic stability."

The two countries also condemned Iran's supply of drones to Russia and called Russian nuclear threats an "unacceptable menace."

China has promised multiple times to not send arms to Russia in support of the war in Ukraine, and mostly portrays itself as a neutral state. Despite this the country has previously been found supplying Russia with military aid, including drones, semiconductors, and fighter jet parts.

Explainer: China’s increasing role in Russia’s war against Ukraine

Just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, China’s leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “friendship without limits,” agreeing there would be no “forbidden areas of cooperation.” Unsurprisingly then, Beijing did not condemn Russia’s all-out w…

The Kyiv IndependentThaisa Semenova