The CIA director said Sunday he was confident China was considering supplying arms to Russia in its offensive in Ukraine, but had no indication a decision had been made or material handed over.
“We are convinced that the Chinese leadership is considering supplying lethal material to Russia,” William Burns said in an interview with CBS.
But he added that he ignores it final decision has been made, evidence of arms sales to Russia is still available.
You A week ago, the United States accused China of considering arms deliveries to Russia. to support its offensive in Ukraine, which Beijing denies.
According to press reports, including the Wall Street Journalwould be in particular “drones” and ammunition.
The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, made the point directly to China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, during a tense meeting in Munich last Saturday on the sidelines of a security conference.
Washington believes China is already supplying Russia with nonlethal material about Chinese companies.
The United States remains vigilant
That, in turn, was assured by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan CNN that the United States remains vigilant in this regard and reiterated Washington’s warning to Beijing of the consequences of arms sales to Moscow.
“We will continue to send a clear message that sending military aid to Russia at this time would be a huge mistake and China should not do so,” he said.
According to Sullivan, the war in Ukraine poses “serious complications” for the Chinese If Beijing decides to supply Moscow with arms, there would be “real costs”..
China calls for ceasefire
China called for a ceasefire on Friday, the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, arguing in a 12point proposal that dialogue is the only way to reach a viable solution to the conflict.
O Apartmentreleased by China’s Foreign Ministry, also called for an end to Western sanctions imposed on Russia, measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and measures to ensure grain exports after supply disruptions around the world drove up prices.
The plan was dismissed by most Western countries, citing China’s proximity to the Kremlin, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted meeting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, recalling that China “worries the territorial integrity” of the country countries respected and “must do everything possible” to remove “Russia” from Ukraine.
Relations with Beijing in question?
In an interview with Lusa on Friday, the foreign minister defended that China was in a balancing act over the conflict in Ukraine and that if Portugal and the European Union were to supply arms to Russia, they would have to review relations with Beijing.
Last year the China avoided condemning Russia for its military action in Ukraine and accused NATO and the United States of fueling this conflict and of failing to address Moscow’s “legitimate security concerns.”
According to the latest UN data, the military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far caused the flight of more than 14 million people 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than eight million in European countries classifies this refugee crisis as the worst Europe since World War II 19391945).
At least 18 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance and 9.3 million are in need of food aid and housing.
The Russian invasion — justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “deNazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security — was generally condemned by the international community, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and they imposed political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The United Nations has confirmed 8,006 civilian deaths and 13,287 wounded since the war began exactly one year ago, underscoring that these numbers are far fewer than the real figures.