China backs Moscow as Russian attacks intensify in Ukraine
A look back at 19 April 2022, when Beijing reaffirmed support for Russia while the EU weighed a reconstruction fund for Ukraine.
What did the diplomatic and military picture look like on 19 April 2022? China said it would strengthen its strategic ties with Russia, confirming support for President Putin while Russian forces faced accusations of war crimes over the killing of civilians. The statement came from Le Yucheng, a deputy foreign minister.
The fighting itself had sharpened in the preceding days. As reported on 18 April 2022, during a new Russian offensive, Russian forces stepped up attacks on strategic cities including Mykolaiv, Mariupol, Kherson, Izium and Sloviansk.
A missile strike on Lviv on 18 April 2022 killed at least seven people and wounded 11. According to Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the regional military administration, missiles hit three military targets, while a fourth struck a tyre-fitting workshop.
On reconstruction, EU officials said on 18 April 2022 that the bloc planned a solidarity trust fund to cover the bulk of post-war rebuilding costs. Senior officials in Brussels and Washington were to discuss the details, to ensure that the very large sums involved would not be misused.
