Russia has allegedly asked China for assistance, including military support, amid its invasion of Ukraine, as the fighting enters its third week, United States officials claim.
The incident has caused concern among White House officials and signals that Beijing could undermine Western efforts to assist Ukraine to defend its territory from Russia. In an interview, US officials said Russia's plea for help included military equipment and other support but did not detail specifics.
China Helping Russia?
One person familiar with the situation said that the American government was already preparing to warn its allies after indications that China might lend a helping hand to Russia. Several other American authorities said they had seen signs that Moscow was starting to run out of certain equipment as its invasion of Ukraine continued.
The Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said that he had no knowledge of any suggestions that his home country may be willing to assist Russia. In a statement, he said that China was deeply concerned and grieved regarding the Ukraine situation, as per the Financial Times.
Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping strengthened his country's partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has supported him as he continued his continued aggression on Ukraine. Moscow's forces have destroyed cities and have allegedly killed hundreds or thousands of civilians.
American officials are closely monitoring the situation and are observing China to see whether or not Beijing moves to help Russia in any way. The White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is also scheduled to meet with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's elite Politburo and director of the party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission, on Monday in Rome.
According to the New York Times, the American official is expected to warn Yang regarding the future of Chinese efforts to bolster Russia's movement in the war or efforts to undercut Ukraine, the United States, and their allies. In an interview on Sunday, Sullivan said that the US government was privately communicating with Beijing and warning them of consequences should they assist Russia.
Chemical or Biological Weapons
United States officials also hinted that China already had knowledge that Russia was planning something but argued that they may not have had full information of what Putin was scheming. Despite Moscow's continued aggression on Ukraine, Beijing has avoided publicly rebuking Russia and abstained in multiple United Nations votes to censure the region.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed that "China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda" regarding the conspiracy theory that the US was developing chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Russia allegedly started the disinformation, which doubled down on its baseless claims that the weapons are set to be used against its forces. The conspiracy theory has spread further due to Chinese propaganda outlets and some American voices echoing the claim.
The situation has prompted concern among several US and Ukrainian officials that Russia itself was planning to use chemical or biological weapons in its invasion. In a televised address on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia's conspiracy theories suggest what it could be actually planning to do itself, ABC News reported.