China reacts to drone raid on Kremlin

Beijing urged avoiding steps that could cause more escalation in the wake of Russia’s claim that Ukraine tried to kill President Putin

China has called for de-escalation after a drone strike targeted the Kremlin early Wednesday morning. Russia said the attack was orchestrated by Ukraine in order to kill President Vladimir Putin.  

“China’s position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. All sides need to avoid taking actions that might further escalate the situation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday at a regular press briefing in response to a reporter’s question about the attack.  

The spokeswoman said Beijing would “continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.” 

According to the Kremlin, two UAVs were disabled by air defenses while en route to strike Putin’s official residence in Moscow. The authorities said the Russian president was not at the compound when the attack happened, and no one was hurt. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky denied his country’s involvement. Nevertheless, Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case and launched a terrorism probe into the incident.  

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China unveiled a 12-point roadmap to end the crisis in February, and has stressed that the Russia-Ukraine conflict can only be resolved through negotiations. Russia has repeatedly said that it is open to resuming negotiations with Ukraine but only if Kiev takes into account Moscow’s “legitimate interests and concerns.”  

Zelensky, meanwhile, said last week that there “cannot be any negotiations with President Putin at this moment.”