China has not yetcrossed the lineConsisting of delivering lethal weapons to Russia in the midst of the war in Ukraine, US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
“To date, we haven’t seen them cross that linesaid the US Secretary of State in response to a question during a Senate hearing in Washington.
Diplomatic pressure
For several weeks, American diplomacy has exerted intense diplomatic pressure on China to prevent it from delivering important military equipment to Moscow, mired in the conflict in Ukraine. In mid-February, Washington announced that China was considering such an option, and there were reports of small shipments being sent by Chinese companies to Moscow.
And, during a two-day visit to Russia, President Xi Jinping reiterated his call for peace talks for the conflict in Ukraine, a solution that worries Washington, fearing it could benefit Russia militarily. “I think the diplomatic, political, and to some extent material support (from China) to Russia is of course against our interest in seeing this war end.“Antony Blinken told Congress.
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The Secretary of State also encouraged any country that receives Vladimir Putin on its soil to take the opportunity to extradite him, following the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). “I think those who are members of the Court and who have obligations must fulfill these obligationshe said, answering the question of whether the United States would arrest Vladimir Putin if he visited American soil. The United States is not a member of the ICC.