US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said that China supports Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, warning of potential measures against it if Moscow refuses a peaceful settlement. Bloomberg quotes his words.
Whitaker asserts that China believes it is engaging in a proxy war with Russia’s assistance.
“In some statements by the Chinese government, we see that they want the United States and our allies to be busy with this war so that we cannot focus on other strategic challenges,” he noted.
According to the American diplomat, “China miscalculated” and should be “condemned for subsidizing the murders that are taking place on the battlefields of Ukraine.”
Whitaker also recalled Donald Trump’s warning as US President to impose secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil if there is no progress in a peaceful settlement.
“The secondary sanctions will be significant. They will hit countries that buy Russian oil, whether it is China, India, or Brazil,” he said.
China has previously repeatedly denied supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, insisting that it does not supply weapons to any side and has an “impartial position” on the war.
At the same time, the US said last year that Beijing had effectively sided with Russia in the war and was directly aiding Russia’s military machine.
