Rishi Sunak tells China not to supply Vladimir Putin with weapons in Ukraine war as Volodymyr Zelensky warns alliance ‘will cause World War Three’
- Rishi Sunak warns China not to support Russia’s ‘brutal and illegal’ war in Ukraine
- US intelligence suggests Beijing is considering supplying arms to Moscow
Rishi Sunak today warned China not to support Vladimir Putin’s ‘brutal and illegal’ war in Ukraine following US claims Beijing is considering supplying arms to Russia.
American intelligence suggests China is weighing up the provision of weapons and ammunition to Moscow, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has revealed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fears such a move would cause ‘a world war’ and has demanded Beijing make a ‘pragmatic assessment’ of a potential alliance with Russia.
Downing Street this morning issued its own message to China, which has so far offered only diplomatic support to Russia, not to side with Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.
This was despite Beijing having strongly denied the US claims and accused Western nations of adding ‘fuel to the fire’ over the war.
Rishi Sunak today warned China not to support Vladimir Putin’s ‘brutal and illegal’ war in Ukraine
The US has claimed Xi Jinping’s China is considering supplying arms to Vladimir Putin’s Russia for use in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pictured meeting US President Joe Biden in Kyiv today, fears such a China-Russia alliance would cause ‘a world war’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested China could supply weapons and ammunition to Russia
Asked about the US intelligence reports, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘I obviously can’t get into intelligence. But certainly the UK and US share assessments regularly, as you would expect.
‘On this specific issue, any support for Putin’s brutal and illegal war against Ukraine is deplorable.
‘We expect China to stand up for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.’
A row between China and the US was prompted by Mr Blinken’s comments over the weekend, in which he revealed Beijing’s possible help for Russia.
‘The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they’re considering providing lethal support,’ he said in a TV interview, the day after meeting China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in Munich, Germany.
Asked what ‘lethal support’ would look like, the US Secretary of State – who also addressed the row over Chinese spy balloons in his meeting with Mr Yi – said ‘everything from ammunition to the weapons themselves’.
Mr Zelensky, who continues to lead his embattled country’s fightback against Mr Putin’s forces, has since issued a warning that Chinese support for Russia would lead to a global conflict.
‘For us, it is important that China does not support the Russian Federation in this war,’ he told German newspaper Die Welt, ahead of his meeting with US President Joe Biden in Kyiv today.
‘In fact, I would like it to be on our side. At the moment, however, I don’t think it’s possible.
‘But I do see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here.
‘Because if China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war, and I do think that China is aware of that.’
Beijing has hit back at the US claims it is considering arming Russia, with China condemning America itself for ‘endlessly shipping weapons to the battlefield’.
‘We urge the United States to earnestly reflect on its own actions, and do more to alleviate the situation, promote peace and dialogue, and stop shifting blame and spreading false information,’ said China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
‘It is clear to the international community who is calling for dialogue and fighting for peace, and who is adding fuel to the fire and encouraging opposition.’
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