US Officials Report That Russia Asked China For Military Weapons
The battle in Ukraine has intensified over the past week, with the United Nations reporting that at least 596 people – including 43 children – have been killed since the invasion.
On Sunday (13 Mar), officials from the United States reported that Russia had asked China for economic and military support for their invasion of Ukraine.
However, China said they seek a peaceful settlement and declined any allegation that they are willing to help Russia.
Russia asks China for military & economic support
In a statement from US officials to the Financial Times, they said Russia had requested assistance, including military equipment, from China. However, they declined to elaborate on the request.
The White House also did not comment on this.
As the Ukraine war enters the 3rd week, some US officials also purported that Russia seems to be running out of “some kinds” of weaponry.
According to The New York Times (NYT), Russia has also asked China for economic assistance after the US and some European and Asian countries imposed sanctions onto them.
China seeks peaceful settlement
The latest development has sparked major concerns after China solidified a partnership with Russia on 20 Feb, with Chinese President Xi Jinping standing by Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout violent attacks against Ukrainians.
The United States is currently keeping a close eye on China to see if the latter would acquiesce to Russia’s request for support.
Financial Times reported that US national security adviser Jake Sullivan went to Rome for talks with Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign policy official, last Monday (7 Mar).
Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Washington, said he was unaware of any suggestion that China would help Russia.
He said China was deeply concerned and grieved about the Ukraine situation, and that Beijing aims for a peaceful settlement.
The high priority now is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even getting out of control.
Before Sullivan left Washington on Sunday (13 Mar), he warned China not to go back on their words and help Moscow circumvent the economic sanctions.
He also said that the US will continue to communicate privately with China to ensure that they cannot help Russia compensate for losses incurred by sanctions.
Hope the situation will not escalate further
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been relentless, even bombing a children’s hospital.
We hope that all countries will take the necessary action to achieve peace as soon as possible so that no more innocent people will be harmed.
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Featured image adapted from Andrew deGrandpré on Twitter.
