NATO Secretary General: China should pay for propping up Putin's war
Kyiv • UNN
The NATO Secretary General warned that China will face consequences if it continues to support Russia's war in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the BBC that China should face consequences for supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, if it does not change its ways, UNN reports.
Details
Stoltenberg said that Beijing is "trying to have it both ways" by supporting Russia's military efforts while also trying to maintain relations with European allies.
"This cannot work in the long run," Stoltenberg told BBC News during a visit to Washington.
Asked what NATO members could do about China's support for Russia, Stoltenberg said there was an "ongoing conversation" about possible sanctions.
He said China was "sharing a lot of technologies, [like] micro-electronics, which are key for Russia to build missiles, weapons they use against Ukraine".
The NATO Secretary General added that "at some stage, we should consider some kind of economic cost if China doesn't change their behaviour".
Beijing is already under some sanctions for supporting Russia - last month, the US announced restrictions that will affect about 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.
China defends its business with Moscow, saying it does not sell lethal weapons and is "prudent in exporting dual-use goods in accordance with laws and regulations.
He also said that North Korea sent artillery shells to Russia, and in return, Russia provided advanced technology for North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
"So, North Korea is helping Russia wage an aggressive war against Ukraine," he said.
Stoltenberg also addressed comments that he made to the Telegraph on Sunday which indicated that NATO may be considering increasing the number of deployable warheads as a deterrent against growing threats from Russia and China.
The comments were criticised as "nothing but another escalation of tension" by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
But Mr Stoltenberg said they were a "general message" that Nato is a nuclear alliance, and that any attack on a NATO member will "trigger a response from the whole alliance".
"The purpose of NATO is not to fight the war, the purpose of that is to prevent the war," he said.