War in Ukraine: NATO warns China of ‘grave consequences’ if it hands over weapons to Russia

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday it was not known whether China provided military assistance to Russia in the war against Ukraine, but warned Beijing of “serious consequences” if it did.

“China knows there will be dire consequences if he delivers lethal aid Russia“And this has been made clear by many allies, even the biggest ally,” Stoltenberg said, referring to the United States, during a press conference following a two-day meeting held by US foreign ministers. NATOmarked by the official entry of Finland into the organization.

The Alliance Secretary General said that if Beijing were to supply weapons to Moscow, “it would be a big mistake,” but noted that “so far we have not seen confirmation” that this happened.

However, he said that China And Russia “They have become closer,” and in this sense, he recalled the “boundless friendship” treaty that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed shortly before the invasion of Ukraine began.

“China he refuses to condemn Russian aggression, repeats Russian propaganda and supports the Russian economy. China And Russia they will also intensify joint military activities in the Indo-Pacific region,” Stoltenberg said.

The Alliance Secretary General’s statements came immediately after a meeting where Allied ministers discussed with partners Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea the threat that China currently representing the Indo-Pacific.

In addition to the “growing activity” Russia And ChinaStoltenberg said that at the meeting they also discussed threats and challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, including instability or terrorism, and assured that they would continue to “continue to work closely” with partners such as Mauritania and Tunisia to ” help them strengthen their defense institutions and stabilize their countries.

More ambition in military spending

Another issue the ministers are discussing is the new defense spending target they want to set at the next summit of heads of state. NATO in Vilnius in July.

“When I talk about stronger commitment, I mean much stronger language,” said Stoltenberg, who, like many other allies, suggests that the goal agreed in 2014 to invest 2% of GDP in defense should become “The bare minimum that needs to be done.” from”, and not to reach the “ceiling”.

He made it clear that this should not be “an ambitious goal to be achieved in the distant future”, but “something we must firmly adhere to”.

“I really think it will make a difference,” he said.

Empty promises from Russia

On the first day of the ministerial meeting, the allies held a commission NATO-Ukraine, in which they emphasized their political support for this country in addition to the military one, so that it would defend itself against Russian aggression.

“We don’t know when this war will end. But when it is over, we must ensure that President Putin cannot continue to undermine European security. Therefore, we must give Ukraine the opportunity to deter and defend itself against future aggression,” Stoltenberg said today.

According to him, this includes “strengthening the Ukrainian armed forces and agreements on the security of Ukraine.”

The Allies have already begun to develop a multi-year program of strategic assistance to Kyiv in order to increase its interoperability with NATO by bringing it up to the standards of the North Atlantic Alliance, which, according to Stoltenberg, “will help Ukraine on the path to Euro-Atlantic integration.”

Asked about advertising Russia that he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in his allied Belarus, the Norwegian felt that given that Putin signed a statement with Xi after his recent visit to Moscow in which they reject the deployment of nuclear weapons abroad, “this only shows that this empty promises.”

He insisted that, for now, the Alliance had not noticed any change in US nuclear policy. Russiaalthough he assured them that they would remain “vigilant”.

(As reported by EFE)

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