A US official said Russia asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that heightened tensions about the ongoing war ahead of a meeting yesterday in Rome between top aides for the US and Chinese governments.
In advance of the talks, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy.
“We will not allow that to go forward,” Sullivan said.
Photo: AFP / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / Handout
China in turn yesterday accused the US of spreading “disinformation.”
Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television said the talks with the US were underway at about 11:50am in Rome, but gave no other details.
The prospect of China offering Russia financial help is one of several concerns for US President Joe Biden.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment, to press forward in its ongoing war with Ukraine.
The official did not provide details on the scope of the request.
The request was first reported by the Financial Times and Washington Post.
The Biden administration is also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the US and the EU. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has shown support for Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with “no limits.”
In his talks with Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪), Sullivan would be looking for limits in what Beijing would do for Moscow.
“I’m not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats, but what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences” if China helps Russia “backfill” its losses from the sanctions, he told CNN in an interview.
“We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world,” he said.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said yesterday that the “Ukraine situation will definitely be a hot topic” at the meeting, which had been scheduled before Russia invaded its neighbor.
Asked at a daily briefing about the reported Russian request for assistance, Zhao responded: “The US has been spreading disinformation targeting China recently over the Ukraine issue. It is malicious.”
“What is pressing now is that all parties should exercise restraint and strive to cool down the situation, rather than fueling the tension,” Zhao said. “We should promote diplomatic settlements instead of further escalating the situation.”
The White House said the talks would focus on the direct impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on regional and global security.
Biden administration officials say Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons laboratories with US support. They say China is effectively providing cover if Russia moves ahead with a biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians.
When Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, Sullivan told NBC’s Meet the Press, “it’s a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, on ABC’s This Week, said: “We haven’t seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical or biological attack right now, but we’re watching this very, very closely.”
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