The Associated Press (June 25)  disclosed that China had pressured Ukraine into withdrawing its support for a call for more scrutiny of human rights in China’s western region of Xinjiang by threatening to withhold Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines destined for Ukraine unless it did so. Ukraine had joined a statement by over 40 countries, presented by Canada at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 22, urging China to allow immediate access for independent observers to Xinjiang. On June 24, Ukraine withdrew its name off the list of supporting states after Chinese authorities warned Kyiv that they would block a planned shipment of at least 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Ukraine unless it did so.  

(Comment: Ukraine has agreed to purchase 1.9 million doses of CoronaVac vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech. As of early May, Ukraine had received 1.2 million doses.)