Western information shows that China asked Russia to postpone the invasion until after the Olympics

US officials widely view the report as authoritative, but its details are open to interpretation, according to a source familiar with the intelligence. Although the request was made at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Olympics – where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping – it is not clear from the report whether Putin has taken up the matter with Xi directly, the source said.

New York times first mentioned Existence of the report.

Western intelligence officials were warily watching Putin’s build-up on the Ukrainian border at the time and speculated that Putin might postpone any military action until after the Olympics to avoid angering China. After Putin and something A meeting on the sidelines of the gamesMoscow and Beijing issued a joint statement declaring their partnership “without borders” and condemning NATO expansion – a mainstay of Putin’s justification for attacking Ukraine. This statement raised the West’s concerns about the burgeoning alliance between China and Russia.

“The allegations mentioned in the relevant reports are baseless speculation and are aimed at shifting blame and discrediting China,” said Liu Bingyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

CNN has reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington for comment.

This story has been updated with additional details.