China’s supply of arms to Russia will have real costs for the country led by Xi Jinping: US Spokesperson | world
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The White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that China did not move to provide lethal assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, and the United States made it clear behind closed doors that if such a move occurred, it would have severe consequences. Sunday week (26).
“Beijing is going to have to make its own decisions about how to proceed, whether to provide military assistance, but if it goes down that path it has real costs for China,” Sullivan said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” program.
China hasn’t moved forward with that aid, Sullivan said in another interview on ABC’s “This Week,” but that Beijing hasn’t taken that option off the table either.
Sullivan said U.S. officials have warned their Chinese counterparts behind closed doors about what those costs might be, but he declined to go into detail about the discussions, which are private.
The United States and its NATO allies have gone to great lengths to warn China of such a move in recent days, making public comments about their belief that China is considering supplying lethal equipment to Russia.
CIA Director William Burns also weighed in on China on Sunday.
“We are confident that the Chinese leadership is considering providing lethal equipment,” Burns told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” We also don’t see a final decision yet and we don’t see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment.
Republican Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told This Week that US intelligence shows that drones are among the lethal weapons China is considering sending to Russia.
US President Joe Biden visited Kiev and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky last Monday, pledging $500 million in new military aid to Ukraine.
Last week marked the first anniversary of the invasion of Russia. The United States has been by far the largest provider of military aid to help Ukraine fend off the better-equipped Russian forces. Ukraine expects a new big Russian offensive soon.
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