Chinese ex-envoy says Russia heading for defeat in Ukraine: report

A former Chinese ambassador has said that Russia is heading for defeat in its invasion of neighhbouring Ukraine and has been "significantly weakened" by President Vladimir Putin's war, according to a Polish news website.

A destroyed Russian tank near the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, May 15, 2022.

Photo: EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV

"The so-called revival or revitalisation of Russia under the leadership of Putin is a false proposition that does not exist at all,” Gao Yusheng, a former Chinese envoy to Ukraine, was quoted as saying, in remarks widely circulated online.

“The failure of the Russian blitzkrieg, the failure to achieve a quick outcome, indicates that Russia is beginning to fail,” he added, as cited by the Bloomberg news agency and Poland's rp.pl website.

According to Bloomberg, the retired diplomat served as China’s ambassador to Kyiv from late 2005 to early 2007.

Vladimir Putin's forces are heading for a defeat in Ukraine that could cement Russia's post-Soviet decline and relegate its great power status to a thing of the past, according to China's former envoy to Kyiv.

Read more: https://t.co/ZlKlhDYBc4 pic.twitter.com/9860h4z3PJ

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) May 11, 2022

He made the remarks at a recent seminar held by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, rp.pl reported.

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Source: rp.pl, msn.com, bloomberg.com