© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/ Stock Photo
By Doina Chiacu and Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China has not moved to provide deadly aid that would help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine and the United States has made clear behind closed doors that such a move would have dire consequences, the White House national security adviser said. , Jake Sullivan. Sunday.
“Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how to proceed, whether to provide military assistance, but if it goes down that path, it will come at a real cost to China,” Sullivan said in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union.” program.
China has made no progress in providing that aid, but Beijing hasn’t taken that option off the table either, Sullivan said in a separate interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
US officials warned their Chinese counterparts behind closed doors about what those costs might be, Sullivan said, but he did not elaborate on those private discussions.
The United States and its NATO allies have been scrambling to warn China against such a move in recent days, making public comments about their belief that China is considering providing lethal equipment to Russia.
CIA Director William Burns also weighed in on China on Sunday.
“We are confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment. We also don’t see a final decision being made yet, and we see no evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment,” Burns told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on “This Week” that US intelligence shows that drones are among the lethal weapons China has considered sending to Russia.
US President Joe Biden visited kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last Monday, pledging new $500 million worth of military aid for Ukraine. Last week marked the first anniversary of the invasion of Russia. The United States has been by far the largest provider of military assistance to help Ukraine repel the better-equipped Russian forces. Ukraine expects a new big Russian offensive soon.