OREANDA-NEWS Sources in the Chinese government reported that 20 days before the start of the SVO, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping readiness "for any possible retaliatory measures" in the event of a humanitarian crisis in Donbass or aggression from Ukraine or the West. The content of the conversation between the two leaders is reported by the British newspaper Financial Times (FT).

It became known from the publication that Putin's words about readiness to respond to threats were perceived by Beijing "as a signal of limited military intervention" to protect Russian national interests.

Five sources in the Chinese government also reported that despite all Beijing's public statements about bilateral friendship, in private conversations some Chinese officials express at least some distrust of the Russian leadership and Vladimir Putin himself. One of the reasons for such distrust is the fact that Putin has not warned the Chinese partners about his intention to start his own in Ukraine.

Putin himself said on October 27 that he had not warned Chinese President Xi Jinping about plans to launch a special military operation. According to him, this did not affect his relationship with a colleague from China in any way.