US may release intelligence pointing to China's arms supply to russia – WSJ
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US President Joe Biden's administration is considering releasing intelligence that suggests China is considering whether to supply russia with weapons for its war against Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal reports, citing anonymous sources in the White House, that China has so far behaved cautiously, mainly limiting itself to purchasing russian oil. However, now the Chinese leadership is considering whether to abandon this approach.
According to US and allied intelligence, there is much less uncertainty about how China can help russia. However, Beijing has not yet decided on the weapons supply to russia.
"Until now," a senior western official told WSJ, there "has been a certain amount of ambiguity about what practical help China might give russia." The official said that the intelligence the US and its allies have now is "much less ambiguous."
The discussion about publicly disclosing information about China's potential plans comes on the eve of the UN Security Council meeting dedicated to the first anniversary of the russian invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern on February 19 that Beijing is considering strengthening its partnership with moscow by providing "lethal support" to the russian military.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield emphasized that China will cross a "red line" if it decides to provide lethal military aid to russia in the war against Ukraine.
