The US ambassador to the United Nations warned on Sunday that China would cross a “red line” if it provided lethal aid to Russia in the war in Ukraine.
“We welcome the Chinese declaration that they want peace, as we always do in situations like this. But we must also be clear that if the Chinese were to provide lethal support to the Russians in their brutal offensive against Ukraine And if any idea and effort has been made by other people then it is unacceptable.“State of the Union.”
“That would be a red line,” he said.
The Biden administration is prepared to compete with China and, “when necessary, to confront the Chinese,” Thomas-Greenfield said, “and that’s what we’re doing. And that’s what we’re trying to make sure.” Will continue to do so that our national interest is always at the forefront.”
The US believes China may provide non-lethal military aid to Russia for use in Ukraine, and the administration is concerned that Beijing is considering sending lethal aid, four US officials familiar with the matter said. said in a special report on Saturday.
While China has provided some aid to Russia, including running a Russian propaganda campaign and promoting Russian false pretexts for war, it is more concrete aid to Russian troops in Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter said.
Officials declined to provide details about the non-lethal military aid, which they said could include gear for the spring offensive, such as uniforms or even body armor.
The Chinese embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with a senior Chinese diplomat at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday as tensions between the two countries escalated over a suspected Chinese balloon shot down by the US this month.
A source familiar with the talks said the possibility of providing non-lethal military assistance or lethal assistance to Russia was “an essential topic of conversation” at Blinken’s meeting with Wang Yi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China .
In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Blinken said, “We are deeply concerned that China is considering providing lethal support to Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, and I made clear that our relationship This will have serious consequences.” ,
China has refrained from condemning the Russian invasion, taking care to avoid violating international sanctions.
“Beijing is trying to have it both ways,” Blinken said. It goes directly to aid and abet Russia’s war effort.”
Blinken declined to elaborate on what form lethal assistance might take, saying, “There are different types of lethal assistance that they are at least considering providing,” which include “weapons. May be.”
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