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Senior government officials said Sunday there was no evidence China had sent lethal military support to Russia, a move Beijing is said to be considering. A senior US official also said China has been surprised by the unwavering support of Ukraine’s allies and Russia’s weak military performance on the battlefield over the past year.
The comments of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William J. Burns were made during separate appearances on Sunday morning newscasts.
Sullivan, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, said Washington will continue to send Beijing “a strong message” against military aid to Moscow “when they use their weapons to bomb cities, kill civilians and commit atrocities.” .
Reporting on the war in Ukraine
Such a move “would be a terrible mistake, and China shouldn’t want any part of it,” Sullivan said. But, he added, “Currently, China has not advanced as far as we can tell. We haven’t seen them do it.”
Burns said on CBS’ Face the Nation that there are US intelligence agencies “suggesting” that China is “considering” giving lethal military equipment to Russia, confirming previous news reports including The Washington Post. But he added: “Nor do we see that a final decision has yet been made, and we see no evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment.”
China is considering sending artillery shells to Russia, US officials say
Burns added that it appears that Chinese President Xi Jinping was surprised by the weakness of the Russian army, which was expected to capture the Ukrainian capital within days of last year’s invasion, and the solid support of Western nations.
The solidarity, Burns said, lies in the willingness of US and European allies to “incur some amount of economic cost to inflict greater economic damage on Russia over time.” A coalition of nations has imposed economic sanctions on Russian companies, Russian oligarchs and companies doing business within Russia.
“All of this, I think, has sobered Xi Jinping to some extent,” Burns said.
Burns also downplayed Russia’s efforts to negotiate a peaceful end to the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Americans suffer from “attentional disorder” and will eventually stop caring about Ukraine, which helps reinforce his belief he can wait and see the Western alliance, Burns said.
He said that Attitude was expressed at Burns’ meeting three months ago with Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin, who conveyed a “very defiant attitude” and “a sense of cockiness.”
This reflects “Putin’s own view, his own belief today, that he can make time work for him, that he believes he can wear down Ukrainians, that he can wear down our European allies, that political fatigue will eventually set in.”
Still, Putin’s defiance and his military’s struggles are turning the focus to alliances he may form with strategic partners, worrying many members of Congress.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Sunday during an appearance on ABC’s This Week that intelligence reports indicated China was considering sending 100 drones to Russia send.
McCaul said such a meeting was “very disturbing” because “while today it may be Ukraine, tomorrow it will be Taiwan,” referring to the island whose sovereignty China does not recognize and which is also a major manufacturer of vital supplies Semiconductor is for the world economy.
Concerns about China’s aggressive stance were also heightened after US officials this month shot down a Chinese spy balloon after it flew over the continental United States; US officials said the balloon is part of China’s extensive international surveillance program.
McCaul continued, “We haven’t seen anything like it since my father’s generation, World War II.”
“We can’t throw our heads in the sand and ignore this,” McCaul added. “Otherwise, the Russians will be on the Polish border and Chairman Xi will invade Taiwan.”