NATO concerned about China's role in Ukraine war

NATO countries, worried about the aid provided by China to Russia in its war against Ukraine, will discuss it on Thursday with their Asia-Pacific partners, before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In an unusual statement, Atlantic Alliance leaders on Wednesday expressed their “deep concerns” by denouncing China's role with Russia in its war against Ukraine.

This text is “the strongest message ever sent by the Allies regarding China's contribution to Russia's illegal war against Ukraine”, said Wednesday NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

NATO accuses China of supplying dual-use equipment, civil and military, to Russia, such as microprocessors. All this equipment allows Moscow to “produce missiles, bombs, planes and weapons,” said Mr. Stoltenberg.

– “Clearly confirmed” –

And the fact that this accusation is now “clearly confirmed” by NATO countries is “a very important message” to Beijing, he stressed.

For its part, China denounced on Thursday a NATO press release “imbued with a mentality worthy of the Cold War and bellicose rhetoric”, according to a press release from the spokesperson for the Chinese mission to the European Union (EU).

On Thursday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused NATO of show “prejudice, denigration and provocation”.

“NATO’s rhetoric on China’s responsibility in Ukraine is unjustified and malicious,” assured its spokesperson, Lin Jian, during a regular briefing.

“We urge NATO to reflect on the root causes of the crisis and its own actions, listen carefully to the right voice of the international community and take concrete steps to calm the situation, instead of shifting blame on others”.

The subject is to be discussed on Thursday during a meeting between the 32 NATO leaders and their counterparts from Japan, Korea, South, Australia and New Zealand. Beijing sees this invitation as a pretext for NATO to extend its influence in Asia.

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China, which angrily denies Western accusations, has always refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, beginning a significant rapprochement with Moscow.

L' NATO has been trying for months to place more emphasis on the threats posed by China, out of a desire to also address American concerns on this point, according to diplomats in Brussels.

< p>Sweden on Tuesday called on NATO to intensify its efforts on China in order to ensure the continued support of the United States, while Republican candidate for the White House Donald Trump strongly criticized the Alliance .

– Very worried –

The NATO countries will then find the Ukrainian president, too very worried about the aid provided by Beijing to Moscow, on the sidelines of a summit, also marked by the climate of political uncertainty reigning in the United States.

US President Joe Biden, host of this meeting, is due to give a press conference on Thursday, after weeks of questions about his state of health and his ability to face his Republican rival Donald Trump in the November presidential election.

Meeting since Tuesday in Washington, NATO leaders announced on Wednesday a set of “strong” measures to help Ukraine. They announced the imminent transfer of American-made F-16s, new air defense systems, a financial commitment of at least 40 billion euros in military aid, and the “irreversible” nature of the EU's accession trajectory. Ukraine to NATO.

The United States also indicated on Wednesday that it would “episodically” deploy long-range missiles in Germany from of 2026, specifying that they could then be stationed permanently. These missiles will also have a greater range than those currently deployed, according to the White House.

This set of measures was seen in Moscow as proof of a commitment to NATO in the war in Ukraine. And to respond, the Kremlin said on Thursday that it was planning “measures” to “counter the serious threat” posed by NATO deemed “de facto fully involved in the conflict around Ukraine”.

Following these statements, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, from Washington, considered the prospect of a “direct conflict between NATO and Russia worrying”.

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