WASHINGTON — As the world waits for Ukraine to launch a spring counteroffensive against Russia, NATO Assistant Secretary General Mircea Geoana has warned China against military assistance to Moscow.
“We haven’t yet seen any signs that China is supplying weapons to help Russia, but we do know that such talks are ongoing,” Joane told American media on Friday. “It will be a very, very serious decision by China that will affect not only their relationship with us, but also China’s reputation with the rest of the world.”
Russia is “the aggressor” in the war in Ukraine, and arming Moscow is “something we very, very strongly condemn”, he said.
At the Pentagon, Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder told reporters that the United States had communicated with China about the “negative consequences of lethal assistance to Russia.”
“This will not only prolong the illegal Russian occupation of Ukraine and cause the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Ukraine, it will also put them on an equal footing with countries that seek to destroy Ukraine as a that state,” Ryder said.
Responding to lingering Western fears that Beijing was providing military assistance to Russia, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in April that China would not sell arms to any warring parties in Ukraine.
Geoana, who supports Ukraine’s NATO membership, told American media that Russia should not have a veto over the fate of countries like Ukraine and Georgia.
“The main thing is that Russia should not care about the decision I make regarding my country. It is my business, the business of my people, my elected leaders, to decide where and how I want to live,” did he declare.
Russia, which covers more than 17 million square kilometers and spans 11 time zones, will never be “surrounded by NATO”, he added, calling such claims “propaganda”.
Geoane told American media that the front line in Ukraine is “moving” and NATO sees signs that Ukraine is recovering territory in the western part of Bakhmut.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged patience as Ukraine continues to delay its offensive.
“We still need time,” he told reporters last week.
Joane told American media that he trusts the judgment of the Ukrainian leader.
“We know Ukraine has the ability to mount a successful counter-offensive, but we also know Russia has the ability to put up significant resistance,” he said.
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