Russia has asked China for military assistance, which includes drones and economic assistance amid growing sanctions from Western powers. The invasion of Ukraine which began on 24 February has up to date displaced over 2.5 million people in Ukraine and has claimed casualties on both sides.
Western powers have hit Russia with heavy sanctions which have crippled the Russian economy. Russia turned to China for assistance and China has responded, but there is no clarity what the response has been thus far.
The assistance of China could boost the Russian invasion of Ukraine and would also help the Russian economy which has been crippled by heavy sanctions. When a question was asked by CNN over the Chinese call for military assistance by Russia, Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, said, “I’ve never heard of that.” Pengyu expressed China’s concern over the invasion in Ukraine and said China will continue to provide humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Also read: Russia launches attack on Ukraine after Putin’s announcement
Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor, warned China from helping Russia evade the growing sanctions, which are a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We will not allow that to go forward,” he said. Joe Biden, the president of the United States of America (USA), has expressed concern over the potential of China providing military aid.
Biden has also accused China of spreading disinformation which could lead Russian president Vladimir Putin to use chemical weapons on the Ukrainian people. China is accused by the Biden administration of spreading false information that the US and Ukraine are running a chemical weapons lab.
Source: CNN, ABC News, image of Jake Sullivan from CNN
