U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Tuesday that China’s support for Russia’s defense industry is prolonging the war in Ukraine and must be halted.
He made these statements at a joint conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
China’s support has enabled Russia to maintain its defense industrial base “to keep the war alive… and this must end,” Blinken said.
Stoltenberg, reiterating comments he made on June 17, said that China “cannot continue to have normal trade relations with states in Europe, while at the same time strengthening the greatest war we have seen in Europe since World War II.”
He called for China to face consequences if it continues to support Russia.
China has not imposed sanctions on Russia for the war started in Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the war a “special military operation” to demilitarize Ukraine.
The West has responded to Russia by hitting its economy with severe sanctions.
As a result of the war, thousands of people have died, and millions have been displaced from their homes.
