WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence suggests China is considering supplying arms and ammunition to Russia, an involvement in the Kremlin’s war effort that would be a “serious problem,” the secretary said. State Antony Blinken.
Blinken said the United States had long feared that China was supplying weapons to Russia. He underlined Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s promise to Russian President Vladimir Putin of a “limitless” partnership when they met just weeks before Putin sent his troops to Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since then, the ties between the two countries have only grown stronger.
“We have been following this very, very closely. And, for the most part, China has pledged to provide rhetorical, political and diplomatic support to Russia, but we have information that makes us fear that they are planning to provide lethal support to Russia in the war. against Ukraine,” Blinken said in a statement. interview aired on Sunday, a day after he met at a security conference in Munich with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s top foreign policy official.
“It was important for me to make it very clear to Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem,” Blinken said.
With Putin determined to show progress on the battlefield as the war draws closer to a year, Russian forces have gone on the offensive in eastern Ukraine.
“The Ukrainians are holding on very tight, the Russians are taking horrific casualties in this effort,” Blinken said. He estimated that Russia had 97% of its ground troops in Ukraine.
The Russians are also eager to conquer more territory before Ukraine receives the most advanced weapons recently promised by the United States and its European allies.
SHOW: Western nations step up air defense of Ukraine as Russia launches new offensive
“But what Secretary Blinken said is big news for me,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C. Graham said the world should “crack down on China” if it supplies lethal weapons to Russia and he advised Chinese leaders not to do anything reckless.
“For the Chinese, if you jump on the Putin bandwagon now, you’re dumber than dirt,” he said. “It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after seeing the movie. Don’t do that.
Graham said it would be “the most catastrophic thing that can happen to US-China relations. … It would change everything forever.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have escalated in recent weeks after the United States shot down what it says is a Chinese spy balloon. China insists it was used primarily for weather research and was baffled.
LEARN MORE: China threatens to take action against US entities for shooting down balloon
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield also expressed concern over any effort by the Chinese to arm Russia, saying “it would be a red line”.
Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a former Army vice chief of staff, said he agreed with the Biden administration’s decision to expose China’s possible willingness to provide lethal weapons to Russia. He said that might persuade China to wait.
“And I think going out and exposing and I would go further and tell them what we think they’re trying to provide, China will probably pull back after that public exposure,” Keane said.
Blinken and Graham were on ABC’s “This Week,” Thomas-Greenfield appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and Keane spoke on “Fox News Sunday.”
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