XI TELLS PUTIN: "NO NUKES"

In a strong signal to floundering strongman Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping of China has expressed his disapproval of Russia escalating the war in the Ukraine to the nuclear level.  He was speaking at a meeting with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday (4th Nov).

As reported by the South China Morning Post:

Nuclear weapons must not be used over Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday, offering Beijing’s clearest response yet to Russia’s invasion of the former Soviet state, amid mounting concerns that the war might go nuclear.

“The international community should … jointly oppose the use or threats to use nuclear weapons, advocate that nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought, in order to prevent a nuclear crisis in Eurasia,” Xi said during a meeting in Beijing with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

There have been fears that setbacks for Russian forces could lead Putin to contemplate using tactical nuclear weapons. In the past Putin has said that Russia would use "all weapon systems available" if its territorial integrity was "threatened." Xi's comments will go some way to reducing those fears.