Kremlin denies China’s president urged Putin not to use nuclear arms in Ukraine

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, left, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, attend a reception at the Kremlin in Moscow on 21 March 2023. Photograph: SPUTNIK/Reuters

The Kremlin has denied a report that the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, had personally warned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“No, I can’t confirm it,” Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Wednesday when asked about a Financial Times report that said Xi delivered the message when he visited Moscow in March.