https://www.ft.com/content/30850470-8c8c-4b53-aa39-01497064a7b7?desktop=true&segmentId=d8d3e364-5197-20eb-17cf-2437841d178a#myft:notification:instant-email:content
Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
March 13, 2022
Russia asks China for military assistance in its invasion of Ukraine
White House fears move is sign of increasingly close ties between
Beijing and Moscow
Russia has asked China for military equipment to support its invasion
of Ukraine, sparking concern in the White House that Beijing may
undermine western efforts to help Ukrainian forces defend their
country.
US officials told the Financial Times that Russia had requested
military equipment and other assistance since the start of the
invasion. They declined to give details about what materiel Russia had
requested.
Another person familiar with the situation said the US was preparing
to warn allies about the situation amid some indications that China
may be preparing to help Russia. Other US officials have also said
there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry
as the war in Ukraine approaches the start of its third week.
The White House did not comment. The Chinese embassy in Washington did
not respond to a request for a comment.
The revelation comes as Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser,
heads to Rome for talks on Monday with Yang Jiechi, China’s top
foreign policy official. People familiar with the situation said
Sullivan would sternly warn China that any efforts to help Russia
prosecute the invasion or avoid western sanctions would have
consequences.
Before leaving Washington on Sunday, Sullivan warned China not to try
to “bail out” Russia by helping Moscow to circumvent the sanctions
that the US and its allies have imposed on Putin and his regime.
“We will ensure that neither China, nor anyone else, can compensate
Russia for these losses,” Sullivan told NBC television on Sunday. “In
terms of the specific means of doing that, again, I’m not going to lay
all of that out in public, but we will communicate that privately to
China, as we have already done and will continue to do.”
The request for equipment and other kinds of unspecified military
assistance comes as the Russian military struggles to make as much
progress in Ukraine as western intelligence believe they expected.
It also raises fresh questions about the China-Russia relationship,
which has grown increasingly strong as both countries express their
opposition to the US over everything from Nato to sanctions.
China has portrayed itself as a neutral actor in the Ukraine crisis
and has refused to condemn Russia for invading the country. The US has
also seen no sign that Chinese president Xi Jinping is willing to put
any pressure on Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart.
The two leaders signed a joint statement in Beijing last month
describing the Beijing-Moscow partnership as having “no limits”, in
another sign that the two capitals were drawing even closer together.