U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was very concerned China is considering providing lethal support to Russia, warning top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi that doing so "would have serious consequences in our relationship," Reuters reported.
"There are various kinds of lethal assistance that they are at least contemplating providing, to include weapons," Blinken said in an interview that will be aired on Feb. 19 on NBC News, adding that more details would be released soon.
Blinken met with Yi at an undisclosed location on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 17-19.
Reuters also reported that a senior State Department official said China was attempting to "have it both ways" by saying it wants peace between Ukraine and Russia while at the same time taking "concerning" steps in support of Russia in its war against Ukraine.
"(The) secretary was quite blunt in warning about the implications and consequences of China providing material support to Russia or assisting Russia with systematic sanctions evasion," the senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
