According to Reuters, a senior official of the US Treasury Department said that the coalition of partners that imposed sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine has found an effective way to convey to China that it should not provide material support to Russia.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the message meant that while China and Russia had signaled some open partnership, the U.S. did not see Beijing’s willingness to provide material support to Russia on a scale that would be meaningful to the relationship.

Moscow is skeptical that Beijing can change its position

Moscow is monitoring talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday, CNN reported.

“These are very important contacts, we followed all developments in this matter,” Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia and China have “rich and multifaceted relations.”

Asked whether Beijing would change its stance on the war after the talks, Peskov said of China that it was “a very serious, big power with its own sovereign position,” a position that had been “clearly outlined.”

“This is not a country that changes its positions so quickly under external influence,” Peskov added.

The President of France and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will end her three-day visit to China on Friday.

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