China should pay a price for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine

Nato leaders have told the BBC that China should face the consequences for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine if it does not change its approach.

Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing was “trying to have it both ways”, supporting Russia’s war effort while also trying to maintain relations with its European allies.

“In the long term, this won’t work,” Stoltenberg told BBC News during a visit to Washington.

In the wide-ranging interview, Stoltenberg also discussed nuclear weapons and defense spending.

His comments come as Russia shows no signs of easing its war in Ukraine.

Peace summit held in Switzerland Dozens of countries pledged support for Kiev over the weekend, but Russia called it a waste of time and said it would only agree to peace talks if Ukraine effectively surrendered.

Asked how NATO members might react to China’s support for Russia, Stoltenberg said there were “ongoing conversations” about possible sanctions.

He said China is “sharing a lot of technology, [like] Microelectronics are key to Russian missiles and weapons targeting Ukraine.”

“At some stage, if China doesn’t change their behavior, we should consider some kind of economic cost,” he added.

Beijing is already under some sanctions over its support for Russia – last month the United States announced restrictions targeting about 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.

China has defended its business with Moscow, saying it does not sell lethal weapons and “prudently handles the export of dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations.”

Mr Stoltenberg’s visit to Washington comes as the Kremlin confirms Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea Tuesday.

This follows his visit to China last month.

Since launching an all-out war with Ukraine in 2022, Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage.

“Russia is now increasingly allying itself with authoritarian leaders,” Stoltenberg told the BBC, naming Iran, Beijing and North Korea.

He said North Korea fired artillery shells at Russia, and in return Russia provided advanced technology for North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.

“So North Korea is helping Russia launch a war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, NATO leaders also announced that more than 20 countries are expected to meet the 2% defense spending target this year, a figure not seen in any year since the 2014 pledge.

“This is good for both Europe and the United States, especially since most of this additional money is being spent in the United States,” he said.

Stoltenberg also addressed comments he made to The Telegraph on Sunday that suggested NATO may be considering increasing the number of deployable warheads to deter growing threats from Russia and China.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized the remarks as “just another escalation of tensions.”

But Stoltenberg said it was a “universal message” that NATO was a nuclear alliance and that any attack on a NATO member would “trigger a reaction across the alliance.”

“NATO’s purpose is not to fight wars, but to prevent wars,” he said.