A few countries officially joined the Russian camp on Tuesday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered the deployment of additional forces in the south of his country, on the border with Ukraine. But he said his country was not going to participate in the Russian offensive.
The Kremlin can also now count on “strong support” from Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro said after a phone call between the two allies.
Vladimir Putin also spoke with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed. Both agreed on the need to “preserve stability” in the global energy market.
China, which plays the balancing act between a Russian ally and integration into the world economy, has so far refrained from condemning the Russian intervention in Ukraine, even refusing to speak of an “invasion”. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on the other hand, spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart on Tuesday to express his “deep regret” at the conflict, according to Chinese state media. The head of Chinese diplomacy also called on the two countries to “find a way to solve the problem through negotiation”.