Ukraine war: China willing to give military support to Russia, US tells EU
- The EU was tipped off to China’s position but said the US had yet to share the underlying intelligence, so Brussels ‘does not have proof’, source says
- Beijing has ‘signalled its willingness’ to help, according to an initial report in the Financial Times
The United States told European Union officials that China had expressed willingness to provide Russia with the military support it requested for its attack on Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the exchange.
The source confirmed that the EU had been tipped off to China’s position but said the US had yet to share the underlying intelligence, so Brussels “does not have proof” of the claims.
The Financial Times first reported on Sunday that Russia had asked China for military assistance. On Monday, the newspaper reported that Beijing had “signalled its willingness” to help, though it was not clear whether China had already started providing support or if it was willing to do so in the future.
The initial reports were denied by both the Chinese and Russian governments. The Chinese Mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
02:54
China’s delicate position on Russia-Ukraine crisis and its opposition to Western sanctions
Earlier on Monday, an EU spokeswoman said that “while we take note of the February 4 joint statement highlighting rapprochement between China and Russia, we have no evidence that such a request was made of China”.