Ukraine war: Russia is said to have asked China for military aid – Beijing: “This is malicious”
Created: 03/15/2022, 09:02
By: Richard Strobl
According to a US report, Russia has asked China for military support in the Ukraine war.
Now top politicians from the USA and China met in Rome for seven hours.
Update from March 15, 2022, 7:55 a.m .:
US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and China’s highest-ranking foreign politician Yang Jiechi spoke to each other in Rome for seven hours.
It was a marathon session in which, from what little subsequently emerged, both sides reiterated their respective positions, among other things.
However, since it would certainly not take seven hours for this, it can be assumed that the conversation also dealt with specific measures in the Ukraine conflict*.
Nothing was initially known about this on Tuesday morning.
The US side has conveyed to China "that there will be significant consequences if they provide military or other assistance, which of course violates sanctions or supports the war effort," government spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday evening local time in Washington.
She did not give details.
A Chinese transcript of the meeting said Yang warned the US not to mischaracterize Beijing's stance on the war.
"Yang Jiechi stressed that China firmly opposes any word or action that spreads false information, distorts or slanders China's position," according to a state-run media report.
Yang also said that "the situation in Ukraine has reached a point that the Chinese side does not want to see."
Yang reiterated that China supports peace talks.
Update from March 14, 4:30 p.m .:
Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China’s top foreign politician Yang Jiechi met in Rome.
A public statement following Monday's meeting on the Ukraine conflict, which was only announced on Sunday, was initially not planned, according to the US Embassy in Italy.
Therefore, initially nothing was known about the content or atmosphere of the talks.
But it is considered certain that both sides will talk about the West's anti-Russia sanctions in the Ukraine war.
Sullivan had warned Beijing of military and economic aid * before the meeting on US broadcaster CNN.
One does not want to threaten China, said Sullivan there.
"But we are telling Beijing directly and privately that circumventing sanctions on a large scale will definitely have consequences."
Beijing has always criticized the sanctions policy.
According to initial reports, however, China is still cooperating with the sanctions*.
Beijing rejects reports of Moscow's requests for help
Update from March 14, 10:45 a.m .:
China has rejected the reports from the weekend that Russia is said to have asked the Chinese government for military and economic aid after the start of the war in Ukraine.
"Recently, the US has been constantly spreading disinformation against China," a spokesman for Beijing's foreign ministry said on Monday.
"This is malicious".
China has always played a constructive role in promoting peace talks.
A little later on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also denied the reports.
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So far there have been no concrete allegations that China is actually preparing military aid for Russia.
However, according to various media reports, the USA sees “signs” of this.
This makes the previously agreed meeting between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, China's highest-ranking foreign politician, this Monday in Rome all the more important.
Yang is director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, higher in rank than Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is better known abroad.
Russia may be asking China for help in the Ukraine conflict
First report from March 13, 2022:
Washington – The Russian advance in the Ukraine war continues to falter and Vladimir Putin* has so far hardly been able to achieve his goals according to expert opinion*.
Since the beginning of the war, there has been much speculation about the role of China, which is considered a strategic partner of Russia.
Most recently, Beijing had brought itself into play as a possible mediator.
But now there is a US report that Russia is said to have asked China* for military and economic support.
The British newspaper
Financial Times
, citing US officials, reports that Russia has been requesting military equipment and other aid from China since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
The paper does not give any details as to which potential armaments are meant.
The
Washington Post
and the
New York Times
also report on Russia's potential request.
According to the report, this information causes concern in the White House.
The fear is that China could side with Russia*, thus undermining Western support for Ukraine.
According to the report, the US is now preparing to warn its allies that China could intervene.
Accordingly, there are signs that China may be preparing to help Russia.
Is China Jumping Aside Russia?
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping (archive image) © Dmitri Lovetsky/dpa
Ukraine conflict: message shortly before US-China meeting
There is no official statement on the report from either the United States or Beijing.
The
Financial Times
released this information just a day before Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan is scheduled to meet with top Chinese foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi on Monday.
The meeting in Rome is about "keeping communication channels open," the White House said on Sunday.
In addition, the consequences of the war in Ukraine for regional and global security should be discussed.
As a member of the State Council, Yang is the highest-ranking foreign politician in the Chinese Communist Party*, ahead of Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to the Financial Times
report
, before leaving for Rome, Sullivan warned China not to "save" Russia - for example by helping Beijing to circumvent sanctions.
However, the spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington contradicted the report.
"I've never heard of that," quotes
Bild
Liu Pengyu when asked if Russia had asked his nation for military help in the Ukraine conflict.
All the latest news about the war can be found in our news ticker on the Ukraine conflict.
We have summarized the background of the Ukraine war* for you here.
(rjs) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
