Update: This file has been updated with US officials' comments about the meeting in Rome. A US official said Russia asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that heightened tensions about the ongoing war ahead of a Monday meeting in Rome between top aides for the US and Chinese governments. The talks between US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi evidently reflected that tension. "It was an intense, seven-hour session reflecting the gravity of the moment as well as our commitment to maintaining open lines of communication," a senior US official said afterward, NPR reports. Sullivan had already bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. "We will not allow that to go forward," he said, per the AP.
China is among the few possibilities for a Russian ally in the Ukraine war, per the New York Times. And Sullivan said after the meeting that he'd conveyed the serious concerns of the US about "China's alignment at this time." White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Sullivan made clear to the Chinese that "should they provide military or other assistance, that of course violates sanctions or supports the war effort, that there will be significant consequences," per the Washington Post. The meeting had been planned before the invasion, US officials said, and it dealt with subjects other than the invasion as well.
The prospect of China offering Russia financial or military help is one of several concerns for President Biden. The administration is also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons. The striking US accusations about Russian disinformation and Chinese complicity came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged with no evidence that the US was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs, a claim echoed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian and denounced by Psaki as “preposterous." When Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, Sullivan said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press, “it’s a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.” (Much more here.)
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