« China has not moved forward » with supplying lethal weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, a top official said, though U.S. intelligence suggests the nation is weighing such a move.
Top administration officials said Sunday there is no evidence that China has sent lethal military support to Russia, a step Beijing is said to be considering. One top U.S. official also said China has been surprised by the steadfast support demonstrated by Ukraine’s allies and Russia’s poor military performance on the battlefield over the past year.
The comments, by national security adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William J. Burns, were made during separate appearances on news shows Sunday morning.
Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Washington will continue to send “a strong message” to Beijing against giving military aid to Moscow “when they are using their weapons to bombard cities, kill civilians and commit atrocities.”
Such a move “would be a bad mistake, and China should want no part of it,” Sullivan said. But, he added, “at present, China has not moved forward, as far as we can discern. We have not seen them do it.”
Burns said on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” that there is U.S. intelligence “suggesting” China is “considering” giving Russia lethal military equipment, confirming previous news reports, including by The . But he added, “We also don’t see that a final decision has been made yet, and we don’t see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment.
