NATO warns China of “severe consequences” if it hands over weapons to Russia

The general secretary of the NATOJens Stoltenberg, assured this Wednesday that there is no record that China provided military aid to Russia in the war against Ukraine, but has warned Beijing of “severe consequences” if it does so.

“China knows that there will be severe consequences if it delivers lethal aid to Russia” and this has been “made clear by many allies, including the largest ally,” Stoltenberg said, referring to the United States, during a press conference at the end of the meeting. of two days that the NATO foreign ministers have held, marked by the official entry of Finland into the organization.

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The Alliance secretary general stated that if Beijing were to deliver weapons to Moscow “it would be a big mistake”, although he noted that “for now, we have not seen confirmation” that this has happened.

However, he said that China and Russia “have gotten closer” and, in this regard, recalled the “unlimited friendship” agreement that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed just before the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

“China refuses to condemn Russian aggression, echoes Russian propaganda and props up the Russian economy. China and Russia are also intensifying their joint military activities in the Indo-Pacific region,” Stoltenberg noted.

The remarks by the Alliance’s secretary general came just after a meeting in which allied ministers discussed with partners Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea the threat China currently poses to the Indo-Pacific region.

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In addition to the “increasing activities” of Russia and China, Stoltenberg reported that at the meeting they also discussed threats and challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, including instability or terrorism, and assured that they will continue to “collaborate closely” with partners such as Mauritania and Tunisia to “help them strengthen their defense institutions and stabilize their countries.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a press conference after a meeting of foreign ministers at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on April 05, 2023. (Photo: EFE /EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS/POOL)

More ambition in military spending

Another issue the ministers discussed was the new defense spending target they want to set at the next NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

“When I talk about a stronger commitment, it is about having much stronger language,” stressed Stoltenberg, who, like many other allies, proposes that the goal agreed in 2014 of investing 2% of GDP in defense become “a floor of the to leave”, instead of a “ceiling” to reach.

He made it clear that it should not be “an ambitious goal to be achieved in the distant future”, but “something to which we should commit strongly”. “I really think it will make a difference,” he said.

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Empty promises from Russia

On the first day of the ministerial meeting, the allies held a NATO-Ukraine Commission in which they stressed their political support for that country as well as its military support to defend itself against Russian aggression.

“We don’t know when this war will end. But when it is over, we must ensure that President Putin cannot continue to undermine European security. That is why we must empower Ukraine to deter and defend itself against future aggression,” Stoltenberg said today.

That includes, he said, “strengthening the Ukrainian armed forces and arrangements for the security of Ukraine.” The allies have already begun work on developing a multi-year strategic program to help Kiev and to increase its interoperability with NATO by bringing it up to Alliance standards, which “will help Ukraine on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration”, according to Stoltenberg.

Asked about Russia’s announcement that it will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in its ally Belarus, the Norwegian considered that, taking into account that Putin had signed a declaration with Xi after his recent visit to Moscow in which they reject the deployment of nuclear weapons in the externally, “it only shows that these are empty promises”.

He insisted that, for the moment, the Alliance has not perceived any change in Russia’s nuclear posture, although he assured that they will remain “vigilant.”

Source: Elcomercio