Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20.
Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
Europe’s top diplomat says the West must be vigilant over China’s support for Russia, after US officials warned Beijing could be on the verge of sending deadly weapons to Moscow .
China’s role in international politics in the aftermath of The Russian invasion of Ukraine the past year has been particularly sensitive for Western nations.
The Director of the CIA bill burns told CBS News last week that he was convinced that China was planning to provide lethal aid to Moscow. This could trigger a major escalation in the war, giving the struggling Russian military a significant boost.
“China has always told us that it does not supply weapons to Russia and that it does not plan to do so, in a very explicit way,” Josep Borrell, senior EU representative, told CNBC on Friday. for foreign affairs. “But certainly, we have to remain vigilant.”
His comments came at the end of a G-20 foreign affairs meeting in India that was marked by a sharp divergence of views over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“There is a big gap and Russia will continue the war,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antoine Blinken briefly met his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting, in what was their first face-to-face contact since the invasion began more than a year ago. Blinken previously told NBC that there are reports that China is “strongly considering providing lethal assistance to Russia.”
Meanwhile, Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said last week that if Beijing supplied lethal weapons to Ukraine, it would “cost China dearly”.
So far, China has not categorically denied the charges.
AT press conference On Friday, Mao Ning, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said the country had made its position clear.
“On the Ukraine issue, China’s position has always been objective and fair. We are committed to promoting peace talks and working for the political settlement of the crisis,” she said.
“The United States has dumped deadly weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine and heightened tensions, while spreading false and malicious accusations against China. We do not accept coercion or pressure from the United States. This what the United States should be doing is facilitating de-escalation and promoting peace talks rather than fueling the flame or pointing fingers at other countries.”
China presented a 12-point plan in February to end the war in Ukraine. Kyiv authorities said they were ready to consider some of these points, but also reiterated that any peace agreement should involve the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.