US accuses China of giving Russia substantial support in its war against Ukraine

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has said that China is providing direct support to the Russian military apparatus, thus assisting it in its war against Ukraine.

As reported by Politico, while the US had previously focused on Beijing supplying Russia with dual-use technologies which can be used for both military and civilian purposes, Campbell stressed that China is now helping Russia’s defence directly.

Campbell said of China’s latest assistance to Russia that "these are not dual-use capabilities" and they "are basically being applied directly to the Russian war machine".

"These are component pieces of a very substantial effort on the part of China to help sustain, build and diversify various elements of the Russian war machine," he added, stressing that the collaboration between Russia and China is "worrisome".

According to Campbell, in exchange for Beijing’s help, Russia has started giving China technologies it had not shared before, "in areas where previously they had been frankly reluctant to engage directly with China," from submarines and aeronautical design to missile capabilities.

Campbell’s statement comes two weeks after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made his first trip to Beijing and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior officials.

China has frequently denied supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, insisting that it does not supply weapons to either side and has a neutral position on the war in Ukraine.

US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns has said that Beijing is not neutral and has effectively sided with Russia in its war against Ukraine.