Accusing US media of making attempts to drive a wedge in Beijing-Moscow relations, China on Monday rejected a US media report which stated that China had asked Russia not to "invade" Ukraine during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that this report "was purely made out of thin air."
"It seeks not only to smear and drive a wedge in China-Russia relations but also to deliberately disrupt and undermine the Beijing Winter Olympics. Such a despicable trick cannot fool the international community," he added.
According to a US media report, Chinese President Xi Jinping had allegedly made a request to Russian President Vladimir Putin not to "invade" Ukraine during the Beijing Olympics next month.
Refuting this report, the Chinese Embassy in Russia had earlier described this report as a provocation,
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that this report is "not even a fake, but a special informational operation of corresponding American services."
"The Bloomberg publication saying that the head of China allegedly asked the head of Russia not to attack Ukraine during the Olympics, so as not to spoil the holiday, is a fake and a provocation," the Chinese embassy in Moscow said in a statement obtained by Russian news agency Sputnik.
The embassy emphasized that China supports a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict, in line with the Minsk agreements.
This controversy comes amid the Ukraine border crisis that has heightened tensions in Europe. Several western countries, led by the US have accused Russia of amassing troops near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for an invasion.
Moscow is saying it has no intention of invading Ukraine while stressing that it has the right to move forces within its own territory.
( With inputs from ANI )
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