US warns China against providing lethal aid for Russia's war in Ukraine
The United States warned China of serious consequences were it to provide weapons to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as Kyiv's top general visited the frontline town of Bakhmut where Ukrainian defenders were holding out against constant attacks.
United States and its NATO allies are scrambling to dissuade China from providing military aid for Russia's war, making public comments on their belief that China is considering providing lethal equipment possibly including drones.
Western fears of Beijing helping to arm Russia come as Moscow's forces struggle to make gains around key objectives in eastern Ukraine, and as Kyiv prepares a counter-offensive with advanced Western weapons including battle tanks.
'Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance - but if it goes down that road it will come at real costs to China,' White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told media State of the Union programme.
While China had not moved forward in providing that aid, neither had it taken the option off the table, Sullivan said in a separate interview on ABC's This Week programme.
China has refused to condemn Moscow's attack on Ukraine, most recently at a meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) in India on Saturday. It published a ceasefire proposal on Friday, the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the offer was met with skepticism among Ukraine's Western allies.
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