STATE DEPARTMENT — The United States has seen evidence that the People’s Republic of China is considering sending lethal weapons to Russia for its use in the war in Ukraine, and has directly warned China of consequences, according to a senior State Department official.
“We obviously have a reason to be concerned,” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told VOA in an interview on Thursday. She stopped short of elaborating on details when asked if there is evidence that Beijing is considering sending lethal aid to Moscow.
Sherman sat down with VOA State Department bureau chief Nike Ching on Thursday as Russia’s war on Ukraine neared its one-year mark.
The State Department’s second most senior official said the U.S. has warned China directly of consequences.
“If the People’s Republic of China provides lethal support to Russia, then it becomes a co-belligerent in many ways, and … there would be consequences,” Sherman told VOA.
Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would suspend its participation in the new START nuclear arms control treaty, Washington said Moscow appears to be posturing, and condemned such a move as “irresponsible.”
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