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Kremlin says report about Xi Jinping request for Putin was fake news

It’s a way to inflame tensions, which is being implemented by NATO and the United States, Dmitry Peskov pointed out

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report that stated Chinese President Xi Jinping could have asked Russian President Vladimir Putin "not to attack Ukraine during the Olympics" was fake news and a way to inflame tensions.

"It’s a way to inflame tensions, which is being implemented by NATO and the United States," he told reporters on Monday.

Peskov suggested that the report that asserts the "request" by the Chinese leader took place belongs in a "fake hysteria bin."

"Our Chinese comrades have reacted to this as well," the spokesman said.

The Bloomberg agency reported earlier, citing an unidentified diplomat in Beijing, that President Xi Jinping could have allegedly asked Putin not to attack Ukraine during the Olympics scheduled for February 4-20. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed the report as "an information black op" carried out by the United States.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the publication wasn’t just slander, but also an attempt to tarnish the Beijing Winter Olympics. He stated that any attempts to challenge Chinese-Russian relations were doomed to fail.

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Vladimir Putin China Xi Jinping

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