China is stepping up support for Putin’s war in Ukraine by supplying tank parts, rocket fuel and other equipment

China has increased its support for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine by sending military equipment to Russia, US officials say.

Alarms were raised when Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in China on Monday for an official visit, his ministry said, with the two countries seeking to strengthen diplomatic ties as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

American officials said this anonymously Bloomberg that Beijing has sent rifle scopes, tank parts, rocket fuel and satellite images to Russia.

They also said China provided “geospatial intelligence” to Moscow to help in the war in Ukraine, and also sent propellants used in the production of missiles, microelectronics and turbojet engines – evading Western sanctions on Russia.

The publication added that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had this week informed European allies of China’s stepped-up support.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 18, 2023. Moscow and Beijing declared a ‘no borders’ partnership in February 2022 when Putin spent several days previously visited Beijing. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Putin has regularly requested Chinese support since launching the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Western countries regularly urge Beijing to play a bigger role in restoring peace in Ukraine, using its influence over the Kremlin.

Although China sees itself as a neutral party in the conflict in Ukraine, it has become Russia’s most important trading partner in the past two years and favors a political settlement to end the fighting, providing a lifeline to Russia’s economy in the light of the sanctions.

However, the country appears reluctant to actively support the Russian president’s armies, which suffered a series of defeats in the first year of the war.

With Moscow’s forces now making gains in eastern Ukraine, this appears to have changed – based on the briefing from US officials.

Now that Putin’s forces have outmaneuvered Kiev’s armies, Russian forces are on the offensive.

Ukraine warned on Friday that a key frontline town was coming under “constant fire” from advancing forces, while Moscow said it had captured another small village.

The Ukrainian city of Khasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region appears to be their next big target. Both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers with ties to the armed forces said on Friday that Russian troops had reached the outskirts of the city.

As Ukraine struggles for ammunition — Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has for months held up a bill that would provide $60 billion in military and financial aid to Kiev — Russia has put its economy on a war footing.

Consumer-based factories have turned to weapons manufacturers, and Russia has signed deals with Iran and North Korea to supply grenades and drones.

This, combined with increased troop levels, has seen Russia recently make its first territorial gains since taking Bakhmut – and it is now trying to press forward against Ukrainian units hampered by delays in vital western military aid.

With China backing the Russian military, Western support would become even more important in Ukraine’s efforts to repel the invaders.

A soldier from the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine fires a howitzer at Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, April 5, 2024

Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday morning that Lavrov, a longtime ally of Putin, had landed in Beijing.

According to an earlier statement from the ministry, he will spend two days in the Chinese capital and hold meetings with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

“An in-depth exchange of views is expected on a certain number of ‘burning topics’,” the statement said, citing “the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The ministry added that the two men would discuss “a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation, as well as cooperation on the international stage.”

Lavrov last visited Beijing in October for an international forum on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

Last month it was reported that Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in what could be the Kremlin chief’s first overseas trip of his new presidential term – which began with his re-election in March.

Moscow and Beijing declared a “no borders” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering Europe’s deadliest land war since World War II.

Rows of dragon’s teeth, anti-tank obstacles, are seen in Donetsk region, Ukraine, April 6, 2024

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned on Saturday of the consequences if Chinese companies supported Russia in the war in Ukraine, days after Washington expressed concern that Beijing would help Russia rebuild its military defense base.

“Secretary Yellen emphasized that companies, including those in the People’s Republic of China, should not provide material support to Russia’s war against Ukraine, including support to Russia’s defense industrial base, and the significant consequences if they do,” the U.S. statement said. Ministry of Finance in a statement. , referring to the People’s Republic of China.

Xi said in a phone call with Putin last month that both sides should firmly oppose interference in domestic affairs by external forces, an apparent reference to the United States.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said bilateral ties were “at their best in history” when he met his Russian counterpart in Moscow last month, according to a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry.