There would be "real costs" for China if the country decides to provide Russia with lethal aid for its full-scale war against Ukraine, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN.
"From our perspective, this war presents real complications for Beijing. And Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance," Sullivan said. "But, if it goes down that road, it will come at real costs to China."
He added that the U.S. was "laying out both the stakes and the consequences" of such a decision in diplomatic talks with China. "And we are doing that clearly and specifically behind closed doors."
There have been multiple reports recently that China may be considering supplying lethal weapons to Russia, but the country has not made a decision yet, according to CIA Director Bill Burns.
In an attempt to deter China from going forward with the provision, U.S. President Joe Biden administration is making the information public, similar to what it did in the months leading up to Russia's full-scale invasion, Burns told CBS News on Feb. 24.
On the one-year anniversary of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, China's Foreign Ministry released a 12-point statement that detailed Beijing's stance on achieving a "political settlement" to resolve the war.
In an interview with ABC News, Biden dismissed China's peace plan, noting that it would likely only work in Russia's favor.
During a press conference in Tallinn on Feb. 24, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg cast doubt on China's proposed peace plan for Ukraine, pointing to China's failure to explicitly condemn the Russian invasion.
