“The concern we have now based on the information we have is that they are considering providing lethal support,” Blinken said, referring to China. Asked what such “deadly support” entailed, the foreign secretary said, “everything from ammunition to the weapons themselves.”
Despite Ukraine’s urging, Washington maintains its no to fighter jet supplies. “The focus needs to be on what they can use in the next few months, effectively in the next few months and not the next few years,” Blinken told ABC. Training on Western-style fighter jets is considered lengthy and demanding.
US President Joe Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against arms deliveries to Russia last March, Blinken told ABC. Since then, China has been careful “not to cross this line,” according to US officials.
Discussions at the security conference in Munich
Blinken met with China’s highest-ranking foreign politician Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. According to his ministry, Blinken warned of “consequences” in the event that Beijing provides Russia with “material support” in the Ukraine war or helps to circumvent Western sanctions.
China is Russia’s main remaining partner, which has been largely isolated internationally since its invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago. In Munich at the weekend, Wang announced a Chinese peace initiative in the Ukraine war without giving any details.
Prominent Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, who was part of the US delegation to the Munich Security Conference, called it a grave mistake for China to arm Russia. He was more certain than ever that Ukraine would emerge from the war undefeated, he said. Helping Moscow with arms now is like buying a ticket on the already sinking Titanic.
China announces peace initiative
China had previously announced its own peace initiative for Ukraine. “We’re going to come up with something. Namely the Chinese position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” Wang said at the conference in Munich on Saturday, according to the official translation. The People’s Republic will stand “on the side of peace and dialogue”.
Ukraine: China announces peace plan
China announced on Saturday that it intends to present a peace plan for Ukraine. At the security conference in Munich, however, Ukraine and its allies reacted with skepticism. It is said that peace is only possible if Russia withdraws from the occupied territories.
G-7 threatens sanctions
Also on Saturday, the foreign ministers of the G-7 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Great Britain and the USA) published a joint statement at the Munich Security Conference. It said the G-7 are collectively committed to sanctioning countries “providing material support for Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine” or circumventing sanctions against Russia.
The affected countries were asked to end their support for the Russian army and its allied troops, otherwise they would face “high costs”. The G-7 statement also called on Russia to “immediately and unconditionally withdraw all military forces and equipment from Ukraine” and “respect independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders”.
The G-7 condemned ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and vital infrastructure. War crimes and other atrocities must not go unpunished, and all those responsible, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian leadership, must be held accountable. After about a year of war, the G-7 states made their “steadfast solidarity” in this context unquestionable.
“Unacceptable nuclear rhetoric”
The G-7 countries also reiterated their criticism of the Kremlin’s nuclear threats. “Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric is unacceptable and any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or similar agents would be met with severe consequences,” said Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, chairing the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting.
US Vice President Kamala Harris had previously spoken clearly in the direction of Russia and China in Munich. In her speech, she accused Russia of “barbaric” crimes and threatened consequences. The US Vice President also issued a warning to China. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a tougher course against Moscow.
The Russian army is responsible for serious human rights violations in Ukraine, including murders, rapes and the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to Russia. “This is barbaric and inhumane,” Harris said in her speech shortly after noon on Saturday. “Russia has committed crimes against humanity.”
Harris accuses Russia of “barbaric” crimes
For the second day in a row, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) focused on the war in Ukraine. In her speech, US Vice President Kamala Harris accused Russia of “barbaric” crimes and threatened consequences. She also sent a warning to China.
Sunak calls for a sharper course
British Prime Minister Sunak called for tougher action by the international community against Russian aggression in Ukraine. The answers so far are “not strong enough,” he said on Saturday before the MSC plenary.
London will support countries that could immediately provide fighter jets to Ukraine. He dodged questions about whether London also wanted to make fighter jets available.
French appeal for EU rearmament
Earlier on Friday, the first day of the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron offered the EU partners talks on nuclear deterrence in the EU. It could be about the European dimension of France’s nuclear deterrence, he explained at the security conference. The current Russian aggression against Ukraine is a reminder of the important role nuclear weapons have and must continue to have in the Union.
Macron recalled that he had already made the offer in early 2020. At the time, however, European partners like Germany reacted cautiously. Since Great Britain left on January 31, 2020, France has been the only remaining nuclear power in the EU. Macron has long been demanding that Europe should make itself more independent of the superpower USA.
Scholz again campaigned for tank deliveries
In his speech in Munich on Friday, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized that he was “intensively” promoting “that everyone who can supply such battle tanks actually do so”. At the end of January, Berlin had set itself the goal of providing Ukraine with up to 31 main battle tanks. 14 of them are said to come from Bundeswehr stocks, for the remaining tanks Berlin is waiting for commitments from allies.
Scholz again emphasized that every new step in weapon aid must be agreed with the partners. The German chancellor defended the tank supplies to Ukraine against concerns from his own country. It was “not our arms deliveries” that were prolonging the war. The sooner Putin realizes “that he will not achieve his imperialist goal, the greater the chance that the war will end soon and that Russian troops will withdraw.”
Schallenberg: “We achieve an unbelievable amount”
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Europe Minister Karoline Edtstadler (both ÖVP) do not see Austria under pressure with its adherence to military neutrality in the Ukraine war. “I’ve never received any requests that we should deliver weapons,” said Schallenberg on the sidelines of the security conference. “It is recognized that we are doing an incredible amount in other areas,” Edtstadler added, referring to humanitarian aid.
In this regard, the Minister for Europe reported on her recent visit to Kiev, during which a fire brigade was deployed after a Russian rocket attack. “The firefighter wore protective equipment from Graz.” Schallenberg pointed out that Austria, measured by its economic output, was the number one in terms of humanitarian aid for Ukraine. In the conflict, Austria was also “sharp on the edge of what is possible under neutrality law”.
Meanwhile, Schallenberg views the Chinese peace initiative with skepticism. In this regard, there is a “squaring of the circle” between support for Russia and the Chinese position on the Taiwan question, explained Schallenberg after a meeting with Beijing’s top foreign policy leader, Wang Yi. “It remains to be seen what they come up with. A certain amount of skepticism is appropriate,” said Schallenberg.
Russia no longer invited after cancellation
More than 150 high-ranking government representatives are taking part in this year’s meeting in Munich. Russian government officials are absent for the second year in a row. After the Kremlin declined all invitations to the meeting last year, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, this time Moscow did not receive an invitation.
The Munich Security Conference has been taking place since 1963. In addition to the public discussions and speeches, she is known not least for her “backroom meetings” in the Bayerischer Hof, where politicians can exchange ideas in unofficial talks.
Several thousand people protested against the conference at various rallies in downtown Munich on Saturday. On the part of the security forces, around 4,500 police officers from Bavaria and 300 members of the federal police were deployed at the MSC until Sunday.
