US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US is preparing new sanctions on Chinese entities that support Russia’s war in Ukraine, reports Bloomberg.
In April 2024, the US warned its European allies that China escalated its support for Russia in the war, providing geospatial intelligence, microelectronics, and other key military components to aid Moscow’s war efforts, further straining relations between Washington and Beijing.
China provides geospatial intel and other military support to Russia, US says
Moreover, European officials familiar with the matter said earlier this month that Chinese and Russian companies are developing an attack drone similar to an Iranian model deployed in Ukraine.
“We think China should stop because we think it is profoundly outside the bounds of decent conduct by nation states.
You can expect to see additional sanctions measures as we watch this picture continue to evolve in the coming weeks,” Sullivan said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.
He mentioned President Joe Biden’s executive order from late last year, which empowered the Treasury Department to target banks assisting in the provision of dual-use items to Russia’s defense industry, and emphasized that these powers were given with a clear purpose.
“We put that in place so that when we find a bank that we feel falls within that sanctions regime, we can do something about it. I don’t have a prediction today, but I will just tell you that we have, over time, put the tools together to be able to respond to this kind of behavior. And we will respond to this kind of behavior,” Sullivan said.
According to Bloomberg, China still isn’t providing direct lethal support to Russia, but NATO leaders at their summit in Washington called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war.
Read more:
- Politico: China, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia lobby EU to protect €200B in Russian assets
- Chinese FM assures Ukraine that Beijing does not sell lethal weapons to Russia
- Reuters: China demands Ukraine remove 14 firms from “int’l sponsors of war” list
- Belarusian Monitoring Group suspects Chinese military deliveries to Minsk by Air China cargo jets
