The U.S. and China are sending top aides to meet in Rome on Monday as tensions between the two countries mount over the Russia-Ukraine war and worries spread that the conflict will take even darker turns.
A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity says that Russia has asked China for military equipment to help press its campaign. In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy.
He says the U.S "will not allow that." U.S. officials also accuse China of spreading Russian disinformation.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week, “Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them.”
