A meeting between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi took place in Rome. It took place at the luxurious Rome Cavalieri Hotel. The reason for it is the escalation in Ukraine.
The meeting was held behind closed doors. Only one photographer each from the United States and China were admitted. No press conference was held. No statements are provided. The talks lasted almost 8 hours. Observers speculate that the main topics were China’s strategic role in reaching an agreement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The issue of sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU and the United States may have been addressed.
Both China and the Kremlin have rejected the Financial Times’ news of a request for “military aid” from Russia to Beijing.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Mayo called the meeting in Rome “historic”. He stressed that “when the United States and China talk to each other, it means that the line that Italy is promoting in all directions is moving forward, to talk to everyone in order to reach a first humanitarian truce and then a peace agreement.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price later released more details. He said Sullivan had expressed concern to Yang Jiechi, directly and unequivocally, about China’s support for Russia at the Rome summit. According to Price, support for Russia after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine would have consequences for China’s relations with the world, including with US allies and partners in Europe.
The White House added that in Rome, Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi commented on bilateral relations, and an important part of the conversation was Russia’s war in Ukraine. The importance of maintaining open lines of communication between Washington and Beijing was also discussed.
As of today, Minister Di Mayo is visiting Romania and then Moldova.
Jake Sullivan’s meeting with Luigi Matiolo, a diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, has been postponed to Tuesday.
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