Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton. AFP
Washington: Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton said it would “not be surprising” if non-government organisations in China were supplying lethal weaponry to Russia in the war against Ukraine.
“It won’t be surprising if non-government organisations (NGOs) in China volunteering their assistance to the Russians… The fact that the United States government is only commenting now doesn’t mean that it just started right now,” Bolton told Sky News.
“China has a vested interest in on talk with Russia, the only disagreement between the two country over the war in Ukraine is probably Chinese disappointment that the Russians are doing better.”
The claims come moments after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that China is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war.
Blinken claimed that Chinese companies were already providing “non-lethal support” to Russia – and new information suggested Beijing could provide “lethal support”.
He said Washington had informed that Beijing was weighing on providing lethal support to Moscow, primarily in the form of weapons.
“We’ve made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship,” Blinken told CBS News.
He warned that this escalation would mean “serious consequences” for China.
China denies
Meanwhile, China has denied reports that Russia has requested military equipment. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said it would not accept “finger pointing” and “coercion from the US over its relations with China.
The statement by Blinken came after his meeting with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday at the Munich Security conference.
In the meeting, Blinken also urged China to stop helping Russia evade the impact of sanctions.
The US believes China may already be providing some surveillance information to the Wagner group, the mercenary wing that works alongside the Russian army.
Biden administration has confronted the government of China with evidence that suggests some Chinese state-owned companies may be providing assistance for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, a report by Time quoted people familiar with the matter saying.
They declined to provide detail on the support and said that it consists of non-lethal military and economic assistance that stops short of wholesale evasion of the sanctions regime the US and its allies imposed after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
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