JAKARTA - The United States warned China after hours of "intense" talks on Monday not to assist Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has not captured any of Ukraine's 10 largest cities since starting its offensive on February 24, the most significant offensive against a European country since World War Two. Moscow called its actions a "special military operation" to "denazify" the country.
China has signaled a willingness to provide assistance to Russia, a US official said, as national security adviser Jake Sullivan met top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome.
"We have communicated very clearly to Beijing that we will not stand by," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday.
"We will not allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses," he stressed.
The seven-hour meeting was "intense" and reflected "the gravity of the moment," according to a US official.
The West is considering how to handle any involvement from China, a top global exporter and major supplier of foreign goods to the United States.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported Russia had requested Chinese military equipment to support its invasion of Ukraine, according to US officials, sparking fears in the White House that Beijing could undermine western efforts to help Ukrainian forces defend their country.
US officials say Russia has requested military equipment and other assistance since the start of the invasion. They declined to provide details on what Russia was asking for.
In response, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, before the meeting with Jiechi. Sullivan said, Washington is watching closely to see the extent to which Beijing provides economic or material support to Russia, and will bear the consequences if that happens.
"We communicate directly, personally to Beijing, that there will inevitably be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support for Russia to replenish them," Sullivan said.
"We will not allow that to continue and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world," he stressed.
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Beijing has denounced Washington's recent accusations of disinformation, which says Russia is seeking military assistance from China to conduct special military operations in Ukraine.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a press statement Monday local time.
"The accusations about the matter being disseminated by the US are false information," Zhao said, according to TASS.
According to him, recently Washington has deliberately circulated misinformation about China regarding developments in Ukraine. Zhao Lijian also emphasized that China's attitude towards Ukraine is coherent and clear.
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