China says the US is the ‘main instigator’ of the war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping look on during a signing ceremony in Moscow, Russia [File: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]

The Chinese ambassador to Moscow has called the United States the “main instigator” of the war in Ukraine and accused Washington of seeking to “crush” Russia.

Ambassador Zhang Hanhui said the US backed Russia into a corner with repeated expansions of the NATO defence alliance and support for forces seeking to align Ukraine with the European Union rather than Moscow.