NATO chief criticizes China: “It is provoking the biggest armed conflict in Europe since World War II”

The boss NATO The Western Confederation warned on Monday that it must It imposes costs on China for its support RussiaHe said only a regular flow of arms to Ukraine could end the war.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visits Washington to lay the groundwork for NATO’s 75th anniversary summit next month.

The July meeting aims to send a decisive message of long-term support to Ukraine, as President Joe Biden faces a tough re-election battle against Donald Trump, suspicious of Western support for Kyiv.

Before meeting Biden, Stoltenberg accused China of exacerbating the conflict With what U.S. officials say is a major export drive for rebuilding the Russian defense industry.

President Xi Jinping Stoltenberg said at the Wilson Center that he “tried to avoid the sanctions and to keep trade going, to give the impression that he was staying out of this conflict.”

“However The reality is that China is fueling the biggest armed conflict in Europe since World War II And, at the same time, wants Maintain good relations with the Westsaid.

“Beijing can’t have it both ways. At some point — and unless China changes course — allies will have to impose a cost. “There must be consequences.”

China maintains that it has not sent dangerous aid to anyone Unlike the US and other Western countries on both sides.

Beijing pulled out of a weekend summit in Switzerland promoted by the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr ZelenskyReaffirmed Kyiv’s demands that Russia give up Ukrainian territory for any peace deal.

Russia has insisted it is interested in talksBut Moscow has demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the territory it seized.

TrumpHe has expressed his admiration for the Russian president in the past Vladimir PutinIt has boasted that it could end the war sooner, perhaps by pressuring Ukraine to accept its demands.

In an unannounced attempt to “test Trump” for future efforts, Stoltenberg wants the Washington summit to establish a path for long-term military support by putting NATO at the forefront of consolidation in Ukraine.

“The more reliable our long-term support, the faster Moscow will realize that it cannot wait for us,” he said.

“It may sound like a paradox, but the road to peace leads through more arms to Ukraine.”

In April, the US Congress approved it $60 billion in new military funding for Ukraine; But after months of delays due to political infighting and opposition from some of Trump’s Republican allies.

(With information from AFP)