White House Says They Don't See China's Help for Russia to Circumvent Sanctions

Jake Sullivan

Washington sees no effort from China to help Russia bypass sanctions, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a conference at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security. He was quoted by DefenseOne journalist Kevin Baron on Twitter.

“We have not seen China move forward in any form in direct military assistance <...> or [making] a systematic effort to help Russia avoid sanctions and export controls,” he said. He also noted that China is "very cautious" in this approach, and Washington, which warned Beijing about the consequences in case of assistance to Moscow, does not see "steps that go beyond these limits" from the PRC.

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The United States has repeatedly noted that China faces consequences for supporting Russia and helping it, both economic to circumvent sanctions and military. In March, China's ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, denied reports of Russian military assistance, saying Beijing was calling for an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine. Defense Minister Wei Fenghe pointed out that "war is the last thing China would like to see," but noted that sanctions cannot solve the problem, but increase tensions and further complicate the situation.

The Washington Post, citing Chinese and American officials, reported in early June that Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed his closest advisers to figure out how to provide financial assistance to Russia without violating Western sanctions. According to WP interlocutors, Beijing is in a difficult position, as it simultaneously seeks to help "its most important strategic partner" and fears that the West could cut it off from technology and strike at the country's financial system.

On June 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping held telephone conversations. As a result, as the Kremlin reported, the politicians agreed to expand cooperation between the two countries in the energy, industrial and transport sectors. In addition, the Chinese leader expressed his readiness to assist in resolving the crisis in Ukraine.