US says China is boosting Russia’s war machine in Ukraine
- Moscow is receiving drone and missile tech, satellite imagery and machine tools, aiding its biggest military build-up since the Soviet era, US officials say
- US President Joe Biden is said to have raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping in their recent phone call
China is backing Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by helping Moscow in its biggest military build-up since the Soviet era, providing drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and machine tools, senior US officials said on Friday.
However, the Chinese embassy in the US said it has not provided weaponry to any party, adding that it is “not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis”.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US President Joe Biden raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping in their recent phone call and that it is a topic of discussion with US allies in Europe and around the world.
One official said Chinese materials are filing critical gaps in Russia’s defence production cycle and helping Moscow undertake its “most ambitious defence expansion since the Soviet era and on a faster timeline than we believed possible early on in this conflict”.
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“Our view is that one of the most game-changing moves available to us at this time to support Ukraine is to persuade [China] to stop helping Russia reconstitute its military industrial base. Russia would struggle to sustain its war effort without PRC input,” the official said.