Biden ‘Pours Oil on Fire’: China’s Reaction to US President's Statement

The international community, including US President Joe Biden, should help reduce the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, rather than ‘pour oil on fire’ with talk of ‘genocide’. This was stated on Wednesday by the official representative of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, as reported by TASS.

“It is necessary to cease military operations and put an end to the conflict as soon as possible to avoid a major humanitarian crisis,” he said during a press briefing in response to a question from a Western journalist about how Chinese authorities assess Biden's recent statement regarding the ‘genocide’ being carried out by Russian troops. “All efforts by the international community should be directed at reducing escalation; there is no need to add fuel to the fire,” the Foreign Ministry representative stated.

According to Lijian, the issue of Ukraine must be resolved through diplomatic efforts. “The most important thing now is that all parties involved must remain calm and restrained,” he concluded.

US President Joe Biden, during a speech in Iowa, referred to Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a ‘dictator’ and described the special military operation in Ukraine by Russia as ‘genocide’. Biden's statement came as he expressed regrets over the rising gas prices.

“Your family budget, your ability to fill your car's tank should not depend on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide on the other side of the world,” Biden stated literally.

Later, before flying to Washington, the White House leader commented on his remarks: “I called it genocide because it is becoming more and more clear that Putin is simply trying to erase the idea of being Ukrainian. And the evidence is mounting. We will allow lawyers at the international level to determine whether this can be deemed appropriate or not, but for me, that is how it is,” Biden said.

It is recalled that on the morning of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine.