Anish Vij
Joe Biden has issued Xi Jinping a warning if China continues to give material support to Russia amid the Ukraine Invasion.
According to a White House report, the two leaders shared a call together, where the US President detailed 'implications and consequences' if the situation were to continue.
Biden also referred to Vladimir Putin as a 'war criminal', as per The Independent.
A White House readout of the apparent two-hour call said: 'President Biden detailed our efforts to prevent and then respond to the invasion, including by imposing costs on Russia.
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'He described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians.'
A senior administration official reportedly said the call 'was substantive and it was detailed'.
They added: 'The two leaders spent the preponderance of their time discussing Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, as well as the implications of the crisis for U.S.-China relations and the international order.
'Biden shared with Xi a detailed review of how things have developed to this point, his assessment of the situation today, and President Biden underscored his support for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.
'He also described the unity of the United States and its allies and partners, the unprecedented coordination with our European, NATO, and Indo-Pacific partners, and the overwhelming global unity and condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as the support for Ukraine.
'Biden made clear the implication and consequences of China providing material support - if China were to provide material support - to Russia as it prosecutes its brutal war in Ukraine, not just for China's relationship with the United States but for the wider world.'
Yesterday, on 19 March, Vladimir Putin held a rally in front of tens of thousands where he was praising Russia's so-called 'special operation'.
The president of the nation addressed large crowds in Moscow's Luzhniki stadium.
Many waved flags, while chanted 'Russia, Russia, Russia'.
Police said around 200,000 people had gathered in and around the stadium for the rally, which marked the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula, which was seized from Ukraine.
'We are united by the same destiny,' Putin said of the people of Russia and Crimea.
'This is how the people thought and that's what they were guided by when they had the referendum in Sevastopol.
'They want to share their historical destiny with their motherland Russia - let us congratulate them on this occasion, it is their occasion. Congratulations.'
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information