Top US Diplomat: China Providing Lethal Aid to Russia Would Be 'A Great Risk for Them'

(CNSNews.com) – Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman says far from providing lethal aid to Russia, China should tell the Russians to end their war in Ukraine.

“Well, Secretary Blinken said the other day in his meeting with (Chinese ambassador) Wang Yi, who has currently been in Moscow, if China does, in fact, help to provide lethal material to Russia, they will face consequences.

“This is a great risk for them. They have said they have a no-limits partnership with Russia. The best thing they could do about that no-limits partnership is to tell the Russians to leave Ukraine and let Ukraine live in peace as a sovereign nation with all of its territory to make its own independent decisions about its future.

“Ukraine belongs to the Ukrainian people, not to Vladimir Putin.”

Sherman spoke to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s top foreign relations official, at the Kremlin.

Putin spoke about “new levels of co-operation” between China and Russia.

“Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena, as we have repeatedly stressed, is very important for stabilizing the international situation,” Putin said.

Putin also confirmed an upcoming visit to China by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Host Wolf Blitzer asked Sherman, “What is Putin capable of doing in year two of this war?”

More of the same, she said:

“Well, I think it’s quite unfortunate that we are about to mark the one-year (anniversary) of this unprovoked, premeditated invasion of a sovereign country, one that has been truly horrifying,” Sherman said:

“I think every mother and father out there understands that Putin has abducted children and separated them from their families to ostensibly reeducate them as Russian children. This is abhorrent.

“There has been all kinds of violence in this war, personal violence, atrocities that have been committed here by Russian troops, by Vladimir Putin, by officers. And so this will be held to account over time.

“So, sadly, we will see more of this. Putin has said, as he did in his comments the other day, that he is not going to stop. He believes, for some unknown reason, that Ukraine belongs to him. Ukraine, as I said, belongs to the Ukrainian people.

“And I think there are none of your viewers who aren’t inspired and in awe of the resilience and the bravery of Ukrainian people. And I think that will be on evidence, as minister after minister, permanent representative after permanent representative, speaks at the United Nations over the next couple of days. Those conversations and speeches began today.

“There’s tremendous solidarity in the world and in the United States, as we heard from President Biden, to support the Ukrainian people.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in New York today (Thursday) and Friday to attend a U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine, one year after Russia’s invasion.

According to the State Department, Blinken will meet with UN Secretary-General Guterres to discuss the economic, security, and humanitarian support the United States and other UN Member States are providing to Ukraine as well as the global food crisis resulting from Russia’s war of aggression.

“During the Security Council meeting, the Secretary will underscore U.S. commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and call upon the international community to endorse UN actions that will help secure a just and durable peace in Ukraine.”

At the State Department on Wednesday, spokesman Ned Price told reporters, “We have not yet seen the PRC (People’s Republic of China) provide Russia with lethal aid, but we don’t believe they’ve taken it off the table, either.”

However, Price noted that China already is providing diplomatic, economic, and “propaganda” support to Russia, despite China’s “veneer of neutrality.”

“We are concerned, as you heard from the secretary over the weekend, that China is considering providing lethal aid to support Russia in its aggression – its blatant aggression against Ukraine,” Price said at Wednesday’s press briefing.

“We’ve made very clear to the PRC consistently…that providing lethal weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine – or systematic assistance with sanctions evasion, would cause real consequence in our bilateral relationship.”

Price said the U.S. will not hesitate to “target Chinese companies or individuals that violate our sanctions. And we’re monitoring very vigilantly for potential violations.”

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