Possible China-Russia Weapons Transfer: US Considers Releasing Intelligence
The Biden administration is reportedly reviewing to release of intelligence that suggests China may be considering providing weapons to aid Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine, anonymous U.S. officials told the WSJ.
The news comes ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting on February 24th, which will mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Reports indicate that NATO allies have made multiple appeals to China in closed-door meetings and that a formal warning was delivered to China's senior foreign-policy official, Wang Yi, over the weekend in Munich.
According to WSJ reporting, a senior western official stated that there has been some ambiguity regarding the practical help China might give to Russia, but recent intelligence has shown to be "much less ambiguous."
If China were to provide lethal weapons to Russia, it would be a “significant departure from the dual-use goods that Chinese companies have been providing over the past year”. However, both the U.S. and European officials declined to provide further details.
“There will certainly be consequences for China should they deepen their relationship with Russia. We haven’t seen them give lethal aid to Russia at this time for the war, but they also haven’t taken that off the table," Sabrina Singh, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman told reporters on Wednesday and declined to specify more details.
In an interview with Reuters, Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, said the U.S. and its allies have “seen signs” that China might be considering moving forward with the plan.
“China is a member of the UN Security Council and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter. The basic principle of that charter is to respect the integrity of other nations, and not to march in and invade another country with hundreds of thousands of troops. And of course, China should not be part of that,” Stoltenberg said.
