US hands 'visible' in Ukraine war: Russia

Russia says the United States' hands in the conflict in Ukraine are "visible," rejecting a portrayal of foreign interference in the war as discreet.

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang had earlier said that the Ukraine crisis seemed to be driven by an "invisible hand" pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict. That "invisible hand" is "using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas," Qin said at a press conference on the sidelines of a parliamentary meeting in Beijing. He also warned that the conflict may escalate or "spiral out of control," calling for dialog to begin as soon as possible.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, however, said on Tuesday that he had "to disagree with our Chinese comrades."

"This is of course a joke. You know what the joke is: this is not an invisible hand, this is the hand of the United States of America, this is the hand of Washington," Peskov said.

"Washington does not want this war to end. Washington wants, and is doing everything to, continue this war. This is the visible hand," Peskov added.

Russia launched what it calls "a special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, over the perceived threat of the ex-Soviet republic joining NATO. Since then, the United States and Ukraine's other allies have sent Kiev tens of billions of dollars' worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems. Western countries have also imposed a slew of economic sanctions on Moscow.

The Kremlin has said the sanctions and the Western military assistance will only prolong the war.

"The tell-tale sign that the 'invisible hand' is, in fact, the hand of the US political class is that periodically it is outstretched for yet another billion-dollar payment, ostensibly to Ukraine, but in fact drawn to the order of US weapons manufacturers and various vendors who contribute to the campaigns of, or otherwise make payments to, members of Congress and the administration," said New York-based journalist Don DeBar while commenting on Peskov's remarks. 

"In other words, that 'invisible hand' can be plainly felt by US and EU taxpayers as it rattles around in their pockets," he added. 

While China is politically aligned with Russia, it has called for an end to the war. Last week, China put forward a 12-point document for peace talks between Kiev and Moscow to end the war. It urged respect for national sovereignty and condemned the usage of "unilateral sanctions," in a criticism of the Western sanctions again Russia.

Referring to the peace initiative, Peskov said, "A big, giant, powerful, and authoritative country like China can't fail to have its own voice on those problems that stand high on the world agenda. We pay great attention to all the ideas we hear from our colleagues in Beijing."

Western leaders, however, have largely dismissed the peace plan. The West has also threatened China with unspecified "consequences" if it provides weapons to Russia.

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