Allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to defeat Ukraine would tell China that the rest of the world is “up for grabs,” according to British Secretary of State for Defense Grant Shapps.
In an opinion article published by Politico on Wednesday, Shapps argued that 2024 was “a pivotal crossroads” for the Russia-Ukraine war that could “decide the fate of Ukraine’s vibrant democracy.”
Shapps warned that Moscow was “prepared for a war of attrition no matter how many tens of thousands of its own citizens it loses” before warning that a Russian victory would endanger Europe and send the wrong message to Beijing.
“There’s no world in which Putin can be allowed to win,” Shapps said. “Not only would it embolden him, putting our other Eastern European allies in Russia’s crosshairs, but it would also signal to China that everything is up for grabs.”
SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/POOL/AFP
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C., told Newsweek that China stands on “the right side of history” regarding the Russia-Ukraine war and was hoping for a “political settlement.”
“On Ukraine issue, China has all along upheld an objective and just position, actively promoted peace talks, and determined our position on the merits of the matter itself,” Liu said.
“We stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue, that is, the right side of history,” he added. “We hope all parties will work on ways for deescalation and create the conditions for working towards a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
Liu did not address the suggestion by Shapps that a Russian win in Ukraine would send the wrong “signal” to China.
Some have expressed concerns that China may attempt to mirror Russia’s Ukraine invasion by taking control of disputed territories like Taiwan.
Beijing has also recently been asserting its claim of sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait and most of the rest of the South China Sea, in opposition to international maritime law and nearly every other country in the world.
While China is officially neutral on the Russia-Ukraine war, Putin has a friendly relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and ties between the two nations have strengthened as war continues to rage in Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Xi reportedly praised his “good friend” Putin in a New Year’s message, celebrating that “China-Russia relations have maintained healthy and stable development and moved steadily in the right direction” despite “a turbulent regional and international situation.”
Trade between China and Russia significantly increased last year, while the Russo-China partnership has also provided a pathway for Russia to circumvent sanctions that were imposed by the West after the invasion of Ukraine began almost two years ago.
U.S. officials recently indicated that Chinese banks doing business with Russia could soon be facing sanctions of their own. A number of Chinese state-owned banks tightened curbs on funding to Russian clients in response.
Shapps’ warning about the potential encouragement China could receive from a Russian victory came after he pledged that the U.K. was in it “for the long haul” in providing aid to Ukraine. He argued that Ukraine’s survival depends on other allies deciding to “step up” their aid.
The flow of Western aid to Ukraine has significantly slowed during 2024, with $60 billion in U.S. aid remaining held up in Congress and another $54 billion in European Union aid stalled following a veto by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is sometimes referred to as a Putin ally.
Pentagon officials announced this week that they are no longer able to send Ukraine weapons and equipment from the U.S. stockpile due to the impasse, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pleading for allies to “dig deep” in the absence of U.S. aid.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.