NATO threat pushed Russia to launch Ukraine war, says Chinese envoy

Lu Shaye, China's ambassador to France, on Friday said NATO's expansion eastward led Russia to launch the Ukraine war, accusing the West of trying to contain Beijing and Moscow.

"For the Chinese, the (root) cause (of the war) is NATO's five cycles of eastward expansion … it constitutes a military and security threat to Russia," Lu told Europe1 radio's morning show.

"You cannot oppress or threaten the security of others by forbidding others to retaliate or defend themselves," he said, defending Moscow's military action against Kyiv.

He was also unsupportive of Sweden and Finland's decision to seek NATO membership, saying their neutral position can better protect their security.

China, a close ally of Russia, has refused to condemn the war, but remains engaged in efforts to broker peace through diplomatic negotiations and a cease-fire.

Lu acknowledged Beijing's "very solid strategic partnership" with Moscow, but denied that China was in an alliance with Russia.

He stressed that both countries' maneuvers were in response to U.S. provocation.

"The Americans have openly declared their strategic target is China, regarding Taiwan. We are very worried about this warmongering," he said, accusing the U.S. and its Western allies of practicing a "strategy of containment toward China and Russia."

Lu also denied all allegations in recently leaked documents about the treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in China's Xinjiang region.