US diplomatic chief Antony Blinken warned on Sunday that China is considering sending weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine, warning Beijing that any supply "would cause serious trouble."
"The concern we have now is based on the information we have that they are considering providing lethal support" to Moscow for use in its invasion of Ukraine, Blinken told CBS.
Asked what this type of support would imply, the Secretary of State said: "Everything, from ammunition to the weapons themselves."
Blinken made similar remarks in a series of interviews with US television from Germany, where on Saturday he attended the Munich Security Conference and met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, an exchange that US diplomacy described as "frank and direct." ".
The presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and China, Xi Jinping, in a 2022 image. Photo: AFP
Warning
The US secretary of state has warned him of the "implications and consequences" for China if it is found to be providing "material support" to Russia in Ukraine or helping it evade Western sanctions for its invasion, State Department spokesman Ned said. Price, reporting on the bilateral interview.
Taken together, the US comments appeared to be among
the clearest warnings yet
that China may be ready to go beyond rhetorical, political or diplomatic support for Russia and help it with weapons for its war in Ukraine, which is about to end. turn one year
Speaking to ABC on Sunday, Blinken stressed that US President Joe Biden had warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as early as last March not to send weapons to Russia.
Since then, "China has been careful not to cross that line, even delaying the sale of lethal weapons systems for use on the battlefield," according to a Biden administration source familiar with the matter.
Ukrainian soldiers fire on Russian positions in the Bakhmut region.
Photo: AP
"Nuclear maneuvers"
Amid rising tension, and as Ukraine prepares for a fierce Russian offensive, Ukrainian secret services have warned that Moscow is preparing to carry out "large-scale
exercises of strategic nuclear forces"
as "blackmail" on the eve of the visit. to Poland of US President Joe Biden.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (GUR) announced that it confirmed that Moscow is preparing components of its nuclear forces to carry out
maneuvers involving the launch of cruise and ballistic missiles.
In preparation for these exercises, the operation of the centralized combat control system of the Russian Armed Forces has been tested and, as part of this test, the nuclear forces were placed at the highest levels of combat alarm, the GUR said in your statement.
According to the Ukrainian secret services, the decision to carry out these maneuvers is part of an
attempt to "hinder" Biden's European visit
, which will land this Monday in Warsaw on a trip that coincides with the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which It is fulfilled on Friday the 24th.
Moscow's strategy involves using "direct nuclear blackmail" to "weaken international support for Ukraine," they concluded.
The GUR warning comes days after the Norwegian Defense Ministry's annual report raised the possibility that Russia has transferred part of its nuclear capabilities to its Northern Fleet ships and submarines.
Source: EFE and AFP
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