US: China will face consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions

The United States says China will face consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday, issued the threat during an interview with NBC on Sunday.  

"We have made it clear to not just Beijing, but every country in the world, that if they think that they can basically bail Russia out, they can give Russia a workaround to the sanctions that we've imposed, they should have another thing coming because we will ensure that neither China nor anyone else, can compensate Russia for these losses," Sullivan said.

US, Chinese officials to meet over Russia-Ukraine conflict

American and Chinese officials will meet in Rome on Monday to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the threat it poses to global peace, according to the National Security Council (NSC).

"On Monday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and officials from the National Security Council and State Department will be in Rome. Sullivan will meet with Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi as part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC)," NSC spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement on Sunday.

"The two sides will discuss ongoing efforts to manage the competition between our two countries and discuss the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on regional and global security," she added.

Sullivan will also meet with Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic advisor to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, to discuss "coordinating a strong, united international response to President Putin’s war of choice."

China rejects US reports of Russian requests for help

US officials have claimed that Russia has asked China for military equipment, as fighting rages between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops.

US officials told the Financial Times on Sunday that Russia had requested military equipment and other assistance since the start of the military operation in Ukraine.

Other US officials have said there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry as the military operation in Ukraine enters the third week.

Biden: NATO-Russia clash would risk World War III

US President Joe Biden has reiterated that the United States and its NATO allies would not fight Russia in Ukraine, saying such a scenario will kick start "World War III."

Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington, said he has “never heard of that,” when asked about Russia's alleged request for military aid.  

Pengyu said China found the current situation in Ukraine "disconcerting" and added, “We support and encourage all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis."

Liu said, "utmost efforts should be made to support Russia and Ukraine in carrying forward negotiations despite the difficult situation to produce a peaceful outcome."

US sends millions of dollars in ‘lethal weapons’ to Ukraine

On the other hand, the United States has provided Ukraine with several hundred million in additional military assistance.

US President Joe Biden authorized the $200 million additional military equipment for Ukraine on Saturday.

Washington already authorized $350 million of military equipment on February 26, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the State Department was releasing "lethal defensive assistance" from US stocks to Ukraine.

Blinken said the package was aimed at helping "Ukraine address the armored, airborne, and other threats it is now facing."

Russia said on Saturday its forces could target supplies of Western weapons in Ukraine and that the pouring in of arms would turn convoys "into legitimate targets."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Putin said his country was defending Russian-speaking communities through the "demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of Ukraine so that their neighbor became neutral and no longer threatened Russia.

US President Joe Biden, however, called the Russian action an "unprovoked and unjustified attack," and the mainstream American media described it as the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two attack by Russia.

US ready to take diplomatic steps to resolve Ukraine crisis: State Dept.

The United States is willing to take diplomatic steps to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, a State Department spokesperson has said.

The Biden administration has imposed harsh economic and banking sanctions on Russia in response to its military actions in Ukraine.

Biden said the sanctions would limit Russia's ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen.

The US president said on Friday he is working with the US Congress and other Group of Seven (G-7) nations to revoke the “most favored nation” trade status for Russia.

Biden announced a ban on Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports.

The US president claimed that the only other alternative to the sanctions would be to start a “Third World War.”

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