Russia launched its invasion on February 24, just four days after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics in China’s capital city.

The New York Times quoted officials from United States President Joe Biden’s administration and a European official, who cited a western intelligence report that indicated senior Chinese officials had some direct knowledge of Russia’s plans before the nation began the war.

Chinese officials had allegedly told Russia in early February not to invade before the conclusion of the Winter Olympics.

Russia had previously invaded Georgia during the Beijing 2008 Olympics, a move which had reportedly upset officials in China.

The New York Times said one official said the intelligence did not necessarily indicate the conversations about an invasion took place between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin and Xi had met on February 4, prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

A 5,000 word communique was issued after the meeting, where the leaders hit out at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and criticised "Cold War" approaches.

The potential enlargement of NATO, including the possible admission of Ukraine as a member, was criticised.

The statement added that the "Chinese side is sympathetic to and supports the proposals put forward by the Russian Federation to create long-term legally binding security guarantees in Europe."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has hit out at the New York Times report and continued to claim US foreign policy deserved blame for contributing to the war in Ukraine.

"Such practice of diverting attention and blameshifting is despicable,” Wang said.

"The ins and outs of the developments of the Ukraine issue are very clear.

"The crux of the issue is known to all."

"International media lately mentioned many times that George Kennan, former US ambassador to the Soviet Union, suggested to the US government in 1990s that expanding NATO up to Russia’s borders would be the most fateful error of American policy," Wang added.

"Regrettably, the US government turned a deaf ear to this.

"Those who created the problem should be the ones to undo it.

"We hope the culprits of the crisis can reflect upon their roles in the Ukraine crisis.

"They should earnestly shoulder due responsibilities and take real actions to ease the situation and resolve the problem instead of shifting the blame to others."

China opted to abstain from a vote at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, which deplored Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the nation to withdraw military forces.

A total of 141 UN members voted in favour of the motion, with five voting against and China among 35 to abstain.

China has been a long-term ally of Russia, but has indicated it will seek to play a "constructive role" in seeking a resolution to the war.

"It is important to play a positive role in cooling the situation and facilitating diplomatic resolution," Wang said today.

The war has led to Russia being hit by a series of sanctions from nations and the European Union.

Russia and Belarus, who have assisted the invasion, have been hit by numerous sporting sanctions.

This includes both nations being banned from the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, which begins tomorrow.