SSecretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has concerns over China’s support of Russia’s military, specifically that Beijing is considering supplying Moscow with deadly weapons.
CNN’s Natasha Bertrand reported on these concerns Saturday, citing US officials.
“We’ve been watching this very closely,” Blinken told CBS’ “Face The Nation” while in Munich, Germany. He said the US already has seen Chinese companies providing non-lethal support to Russia.
“The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they’re considering providing lethal support, and we’ve made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship,” Blinken said.
Blinken clarified that “lethal support” refers to weapons, among other items.
“There’s a whole gamut of things that — that fit in that category, everything from ammunition to the weapons themselves,” he told CBS.
CNN reported Saturday there are signs that Beijing wants to “creep up to the line” of providing lethal military aid to Russia without getting caught, according to US officials, who would not describe in detail the intelligence guiding the US in that assessment.
In an interview with NBC Sunday, Blinken also declined to provide what evidence the US has, but said he believed it would be “out there soon.”
Officials shared the intelligence with allies and partners at the Munich Security Conference over the last several days.
Aid for Ukraine: On weapons and equipment the US plans to provide to Ukraine, Blinken would not say whether he expects a policy change to greenlight US fighter jets. Blinken said it was challenging to train Ukrainian fighters on unfamiliar equipment, but reiterated that the US continues to engage with Kyiv about what they need.
He said it would be critical to to prepare Ukraine for what Blinken predicts will be its own counteroffensive against Russia.
