On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there “will be a World War” if China allies itself with Russia.
Zelenskyy’s statement follows United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken who warned Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, of the country providing weapons to aid Russia’s efforts on Saturday.
A Chinese official suggested the United States was in no position to make demands, Reuters reported.
“For us, it is important that China does not support the Russian Federation in this war,” the Ukrainian president said. “In fact, I would like it to be on our side. At the moment, however, I don’t think it’s possible.”
JUST IN – Ukraine's Zelenskyy: "If China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war." — WELT
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“But I do see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here,” he added. “Because if China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war, and I do think that China is aware of that.”
“We’ve been watching this very, very closely. And, for the most part, China has been engaged in providing rhetorical, political, diplomatic support to Russia, but we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine,” Blinken said in an interview that aired Sunday — a day after his meeting with Yi.
The United States has provided nearly $200 billion in assistance to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country in late February 2022. Assistance provided has included weapons, ammunition, long-range missiles, and tanks, per the Daily Wire.
China, however, has assisted Russian forces, providing their military with navigation equipment, jamming technology, and fighter jet parts, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Estimations from United States Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley suggested 100,000 soldiers — along with 40,000 civilians — have died since the war kicked off last year.
