China and Russia have threatened NATO with “provoking a confrontation” over the bloc’s claims that Xi Jinping’s nation played a key role in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
NATO leaders said in a statement at their summit in Washington on Wednesday that China had “become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” adding that Beijing’s “so-called ‘no-holds-barred’ partnership” and “large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base” were a cause for “deep concern.”
In response, a spokesman for Beijing’s mission to the European Union said: “NATO should stop hyping up the so-called Chinese threat and provoking confrontation and rivalry, and do more to contribute to world peace and stability.”
“Everyone knows that China is not the creator of the crisis in Ukraine. China’s position on Ukraine is open and transparent,” they added.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev weighed in, denouncing the NATO summit’s promise to grant eventual membership to Ukraine and saying Russia should work toward the “disappearance” of both Ukraine and the military alliance.
China and Russia have threatened NATO not to “provoke a confrontation” over the bloc’s claims that Xi Jinping’s nation played a key role in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine (file image)
Ukrainian refugee Mariia Hlyten holds a sign outside the NATO summit in Washington
Ukrainian infantry fires at Russian positions on the front’s zero line in prepared trenches 100 meters from Russian trenches on July 5, 2025 in the direction of Toretsk region.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) denounced the NATO summit’s promise to grant eventual membership to Ukraine
In a social media post, Medvedev quoted in English the NATO statement from its summit in Washington this week: “We will continue to support (Ukraine) on its irreversible path towards full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.”
“The conclusion is obvious. We must do everything possible to ensure that Ukraine’s ‘irreversible path’ to NATO ends with either Ukraine’s disappearance or NATO’s disappearance. Or better yet, with the disappearance of both,” he added.
The Russian state has backed Medvedev’s response, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Russian news agencies today that the nation is planning “response measures” to contain the “very serious threat” from NATO.
He added that NATO was now “fully involved in the conflict over Ukraine.”
Medvedev, who was seen as a pro-Western moderniser during his 2008-2012 presidency, has reinvented himself as an arch-hawk since the start of the war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
In particular, he has repeatedly warned the United States and its allies that their arms supplies to kyiv could lead to a “nuclear apocalypse.”
Ukrainian infantrymen at the front line in prepared trenches 100 meters from Russian trenches on July 5, 2025
A view of a mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, June 30, 2024
A destroyed statue in Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, on July 6, 2024
Any decision on whether to use Russian nuclear weapons would be up to President Vladimir Putin, but diplomats say the views of Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, signal a bellicose mindset at the top of the Kremlin that has cast the war as an existential struggle with the West.
China has refused to condemn the Russian invasion and last year published a document calling for a “political solution” to the conflict, which Western countries say could allow Russia to retain much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.
The strategic partnership between China and Russia has grown closer since the invasion.
Beijing presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.
But it has offered a vital lifeline to Russia’s isolated economy, with trade booming since the conflict began.
But the economic partnership has come under close scrutiny from the West in recent months, with Washington vowing to go after financial institutions that facilitate Moscow’s war effort.
A view of a destroyed tank in New York City (Niu-York), as Torecki has so far been one of the quietest sections of the front line.
A view of a collapsed building in New York City (New York), as Torecki has so far been one of the quieter sections of the front line as the Russians began bombing the area.
The United States and Europe have also accused Beijing of selling components and equipment needed to keep Moscow’s military production afloat.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April that this included “machine tools, semiconductors and other dual-use items that have helped Russia rebuild the defence industrial base that sanctions and export controls had done so much to degrade.”
Beijing has denied accusations it is helping Russia fight in Ukraine and insisted it will not accept “criticism or pressure” over its ties with Moscow.
And on Thursday, its foreign ministry accused the alliance of “prejudice, defamation and provocation.”
“NATO’s rhetoric about China’s responsibility in Ukraine is unwarranted and malicious,” said spokesman Lin Jian.
‘We urge NATO to reflect on the root causes of the crisis and its own actions, listen carefully to the just voice of the international community and take concrete actions to alleviate the situation, instead of shifting the blame to others.’