Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is about to hit the one-anniversary mark, and a significant shift could be on the horizon that will have severe residual effects.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said China strongly considers providing lethal support to Russia. That includes weapons and ammunition.
Blinken said this is far from surprising that Putin would solicit the help of our No. 1 enemy, and now that it is a distinct possibility, we better be prepared.
“We’ve been concerned from day one about that possibility. There’s a whole gamut of things that — that fit in that category, everything from ammunition to the weapons themselves.”
As for what this would mean for US relations with China, it’s not good. And Blinken was very direct, making sure Beijing got the message.
“To the Chinese, if you jump on the Putin train now, you’re dumber than dirt; it would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie, Don’t do this. The most catastrophic thing that could happen to the U.S.-China relationship, in my opinion, is for China to give lethal weapons to Putin in his crime against humanity. That would change everything forever.”
Will President Xi Jinping get the message? Who knows. Blinken said he met with his Chinese counterpart and gave him a similar message about the “serious problem” this would cause.
Senator Lindsay Graham called for the United States to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. China would be sanctioned under US law for supporting Russia if that happened.
Just before Russia’s invasion last February, Xi and Putin declared a partnership with “no limits” and “no forbidden” areas of cooperation.
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