Power Play

Ukraine conflict: Why America, not Putin, is the culprit

Who is to blame for the war in Ukraine? The Straits Times' China Bureau Chief Tan Dawn Wei looks at the narrative from Beijing.

A demonstrator with the American and Ukrainian flags during a "Stand with Ukraine" rally in Washington on Feb 28, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS
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About a week into the war, diplomatic compounds along Beijing's embassy row put up banners or lit their buildings in blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.

But just a day after the Canadian embassy erected a billboard outside its perimeter wall showing solidarity with Ukraine, someone came along and scrawled in large letters the words "Fxxx Nato".

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