China's support for Russia's war machine 'has to stop,' says Blinken

Russia's "war machine" is being enabled by Chinese support which "has to stop," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on June 18.

Speaking at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, both officials criticized Beijing and its relationship with the Kremlin.

Although China officially maintains a neutral stance on Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine and denies providing lethal aid, Beijing and Moscow continue to strengthen their ties, underscored by Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May.

Blinken said China was providing support that enables "Russia to keep that defense industrial base going, to keep the war machine going, to keep the war going."

"So that has to stop," he added, in comments reported by AFP.

In similar remarks to those he made on June 17, Stoltenberg said China should face "consequences" if it keeps supporting Russia.

"China cannot have it both ways. They cannot continue to have normal trade relationships with countries in Europe and at the same time fuel the biggest war we have seen in Europe since the Second World War," he said.

On June 17, Stoltenberg said 90% of Russian microelectronics have come from China.

Beijing is also reportedly working to improve the capabilities of Russian satellites.

China has denied giving Russia military assistance in its full-scale war against Ukraine. At the same time, the U.S. has previously accused China of giving Russia "every support behind the scenes" towards its war in Ukraine, describing its actions as "destabilizing in the heart of Europe."

Russian troops beheaded Ukrainian soldier in Donetsk Oblast, Kyiv claims

In a post on social media, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said his office has received information that Russian commanders had given orders “not to capture Ukrainian servicemen, but instead to kill them with inhuman cruelty - by beheading.”

The Kyiv IndependentChris York