The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the United States initiated the provocation during an incident in which a Chinese warship was seen crossing in front of a US ship during a joint exercise with Canada.

While the Russian-Ukrainian war was the most important issue that overshadowed the summit of 47 European leaders in Moldova on Thursday, the crisis between Kosovo and Serbia, about 500 miles (almost 800 kilometers) away, was the other topic on the agenda of the summit.

Since Russian troops declared victory in the city of Bakhmut last month, after the longest bloody battle since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war, however, the Ukrainian defenders continue to press and continue to fight from positions on the western outskirts of Bakhmut, where the commander of the Ukrainian battalion Oleg shiryev said We are moving forward and fighting for every tree, every trench, we are fighting for every bunker.”

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday that dialogue between the United States and China is "necessary" and will avoid miscalculations that could lead to conflict after Beijing refused to hold an official meeting between him and his Chinese counterpart.