EU has no evidence China providing Russia with weapons: Borrell
3 Min Read
The EU's foreign chief says that Beijing committed not to supply Moscow with arms.
-
European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after a meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels in December 2023. (AFP)
The European Union has no evidence that China is arming Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, the bloc's foreign policy chief said on Saturday.
"China has committed not to supply arms and we do not have evidence that this is happening," the senior EU official said at IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said earlier this month that the UK has evidence that Beijing is supplying weapons to Russia. But the United States promptly responded that it does not have such evidence, and asked Shapps to share his country's findings with Washington.
Read more: China will not participate in Swiss peace conference on Ukraine
“We have not seen that to date. I look forward to speaking with the U.K. to make sure that we have a common operating picture,” US national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said then, however, he claimed that China "is clearly providing weapons components" to Russia and that the US has "taken action to deal with."
Additionally, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell claimed that China is giving Russia "every support behind the scenes" on the Ukraine war and that Beijing is "destabilizing in the heart of Europe."
Read more: Blinken warns NATO allies of 'concerning' China-Russia cooperation: FT
"What we've seen from China to Russia is not a one-off or a couple of rogue firms involved in supporting Russia," Campbell said on Wednesday, adding that NATO and the EU should send "a collective message of concern to China about its actions."
China has an impartial position
Ahead of Borrell's statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it is not providing weapons to either side and that it has an "impartial position" on the conflict.
"We have honored our commitment not to provide weapons to either side of the conflict. In accordance with laws and regulations, we have implemented strict controls on exports of military items," a ministry spokesperson said following talks between the Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and his American counterpart Lloyd Austin in Singapore.
Read more: China 'fueling war in Europe' by backing Russia, NATO chief claims
The US admitted on Friday that it approved the Ukrainian request to use US-supplied weapons to conduct strikes on Russia, explaining that the green light was given on condition that the Ukrainians would limit their strikes to the border areas of Kharkiv, where Russian forces entered in early May.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a press conference following an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague: "Ukraine came to us and asked for the authorization to use weapons that we're providing to defend against this aggression, including against Russian forces that are massing on the Russian side of the borders" and President Joe Biden "approved the use of our weapons for that purpose."
Read more: Kiev already used long-range ATACMs US secretly sent to Ukraine
Blinken noted that NATO allies are intensifying their efforts to meet Ukraine's needs, citing recent commitments from the Netherlands and Germany to provide additional Patriot air defense systems. He also highlighted the Czech Republic's initiative to establish a coalition for urgently supplying artillery shells to the Ukrainian armed forces.
