Ukraine conflict: China backs Russia, asks NATO to abandon 'cold war mentality'

Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, NATO continues to expand its geography and range of operations, engage in bloc politics and confrontation. This is not contributing to global security and stability", China's Mission to the European Union said in a statement.

New Delhi: Amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West in view of the Russian military build-up on the Ukraine border, China's Mission to the European Union has reiterated Beijing's "strong support to Moscow”.

The support by the Chinese Mission to Moscow comes two days after the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping displayed a strong picture of unity at the opening session of the Beijing Winter Olympics. "Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, NATO continues to expand its geography and range of operations, engage in bloc politics and confrontation. This is not contributing to global security and stability", China's Mission to the European Union said in a statement.

"China believes that regional security should not be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs. We call on NATO to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, respect the sovereignty, security, interests as well as the diversity of civilizations, history, and culture of other countries, take an objective and impartial view of other countries’ peaceful development and do more to increase mutual trust among countries and maintain regional peace and stability," the statement read.

On Saturday, Putin and Xi in a joint statement reiterated their “strong mutual support for the safeguarding of principal interests including state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and their resistance to foreign involvement in their domestic affairs”, in a veiled attack against the United States of America. Russian President has repeatedly highlighted that the amassing of his more than 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border is “not a sign of a possible invasion”.

At the centre of Ukraine conflict has been the issue of Moscow's key demands such as the European military alliance (NATO) should not extend its borders on the eastern front and not induct former Soviet states into the military group, a clear reference to Ukraine and to even Georgia.