CIA Director Bill Burns confirmed that China is considering sending lethal aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine in an interview with CBS News on Feb. 24.
"We're confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment," Burns said.
Burns said, however, that China has not yet made a decision on whether to send Russia lethal aid. In an attempt to deter China from making the decision, the administration is making the information public, similar to what it did in the months leading up to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We also don't see that a final decision has been made yet, and we don't see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment," Burns told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan.
"And that's why, I think, Secretary Blinken and the president have thought it important to make very clear what the consequences of that would be as well."
Burns also emphasized that sending this type of aid to Russia would be a "very risky and unwise bet" for China's President Xi Jinping.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was very concerned China was considering providing lethal support to Russia, warning top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi that doing so "would have serious consequences in our relationship," Reuters reported on Feb. 19.
On the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, China’s Foreign Ministry released a 12-point statement that detailed Beijing’s stance on achieving a “political settlement” to resolve Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
In an interview with ABC News, U.S. President Joe Biden dismissed the peace plan China put forward for Russia’s full-scale war, noting that it would likely only work in Russia’s favor.
