The United States has warned China against aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid reports that Moscow has appealed to Beijing for military help.
Several US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say Russia asked China for military equipment after its invasion, sparking concern in the White House that Beijing may undermine Western efforts to help Ukrainian forces defend their country.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome later Monday, warned Beijing it would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine
Asked about Russia’s request for military aid, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, said: “I’ve never heard of that.”
Mr Lui said China found the current situation in Ukraine “disconcerting” and added that Beijing “support and encourage all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis”.
Concerns of Russia’s appeal to China come as diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine have stepped up.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are set to talk again after both sides cited progress, even after Russia attacked a base near the Polish border and fighting raged elsewhere.
A barrage of Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Yavoriv International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security, a base just 25km from the Polish border that has previously hosted NATO military instructors, killing 35 people and wounding 134, a Ukrainian official said on Sunday local time.
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