Russia seeks help from China including economic and military assistance. A US official claims that the requests began after the invasion took place. The official said that China has responded but did not provide additional details as to what was agreed upon.
The possibility of Chinese support would be a significant development in Russia’s invasion. It could potentially upend the grip Ukrainian soldiers still have over the nation. This would also provide a counterweight to Russia’s economic sanctions.
Spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the US, Liu Pengyu, said in a statement, “I’ve never heard of that.” She also added the Ukraine situation is “indeed disconcerting”. She assured that China has and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
“The high priority now is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even getting out of control. … China calls for exercising utmost restraint and preventing a massive humanitarian crisis.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that China aiding Russia is a “concern”.
“We also are watching closely to see the extent to which China actually does provide any form of support, material support or economic support, to Russia. It is a concern of ours. And we have communicated to Beijing that we will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses from the economic sanctions,” Sullivan said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, have been increasingly critical of Beijing’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. While Beijing has seemingly tried to strike a neutral tone on the international stage, Chinese domestic media coverage has promoted Russian disinformation campaigns and described the war as a “special military operation.” Psaki also tweeted Wednesday that Beijing “has seemingly endorsed” false Russian claims that the US is developing chemical weapons in Ukraine.