By Sumi Somaskanda & Tiffany Wertheimer, BBC NewsChina should face “economic cost” for Russia support – Jens Stoltenberg
The head of Nato has told the BBC that China should face consequences for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, if it does not change its ways.
Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing was “trying to get it both ways” by supporting Russia’s war effort, while also trying to maintain relationships with European allies.
“This cannot work in the long run,” Mr Stoltenberg told BBC News during a visit to Washington.
In the wide ranging interview, Mr Stoltenberg also addressed nuclear weapons and defence spending.
His comments come as Russia shows no sign of easing its war against Ukraine.
A peace summit held in Switzerland at the weekend saw dozens of nations commit to supporting Kyiv, but Russia called it a waste of time and said it would only agree to peace talks if Ukraine essentially surrendered.
When pressed on what Nato members might do about China’s support of Russia, Mr Stoltenberg said there was an “ongoing conversation” about possible sanctions.
He said China was “sharing a lot of technologies, [like] micro-electronics, which are key for Russia to build missiles, weapons they use against Ukraine”.
He added that “at some stage, we should consider some kind of economic cost if China doesn’t change their behaviour”.
Beijing is already under some sanctions for its support of Russia – last month, the US announced restrictions that would target about 20 firms based in China and Hong Kong.
China has defended its business with Moscow, saying it is not selling lethal arms and “prudently handles the export of dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations”.
Russia’s full-scale invasion has devastated Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin has clearly said he has no intention of pulling back
Russia has become increasingly isolated on the world stage since it launched its full-scale war with Ukraine in 2022. Mr Putin has repeatedly said that the West’s balance of power is shifting, and he has worked to strengthen ties with like-minded leaders.
“Russia right now is aligning more and more with authoritarian leaders,” Mr Stoltenberg told the BBC, listing Iran, Beijing and North Korea.
He said that the North has sent artillery shells to Russia, and in return Russia had given advanced technology for North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes.
“So North Korea is helping Russia to conduct a war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Speaking ahead of a meeting with US President Joe Biden, the Nato chief also announced that more than 20 nations are expected to meet a defence spending target of 2% this year – more than any other year since it was pledged in 2014.
“This is good for Europe and good for America, especially since much of this extra money is spent here in the United States,” he said.
Mr Stoltenberg also addressed comments that he made to the Telegraph on Sunday which indicated that Nato may be considering increasing the number of deployable warheads as a deterrent against growing threats from Russia and China.
The comments were criticised as “nothing but another escalation of tension” by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
But Mr Stoltenberg said they were a “general message” that Nato is a nuclear alliance, and that any attack on a Nato member will “trigger a response from the whole alliance”.
“The purpose of Nato is not to fight the war, the purpose of that is to prevent the war,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is prepared to use nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to the state. Meanwhile, a drone reportedly hit a national security building in Russia. DW has the latest.
What you need to know
Russia’s president reiterated that his country will respond if there is a threat to its statehood, sovereignty or independence.
The blunt warning to the West comes ahead of a presidential vote this week that Putin is expected to win.
Putin praised US President Joe Biden as a veteran politician who fully understands the possible dangers of escalation.
In other related news, the leaders of France and Poland will meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Friday for talks on Ukraine.
Germany to host French, Polish leaders for talks on Ukraine
On Friday, the leaders of France, Germany and Poland will hold talks on Ukraine in Berlin aimed at helping organize further aid for Kyiv.
“In my opinion, these three capitals have the task and the power to mobilize all of Europe” to provide Ukraine with fresh aid, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told state broadcaster TVP late Tuesday from Washington DC.
Friday’s talks come as European countries rally support for Ukraine, which continues to need vast amounts of weapons and ammunition in its ongoing resistance of Russia’s invasion, which has entered its third year.
Germany is Ukraine’s largest European provider of military aid, but Chancellor Scholz is holding back on providing long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which could reach far into Russian territory.
Ahead of Friday’s trilateral sit-down, which will include Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Chancellor Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron will have a bilateral meeting, said Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. The missile issue has been a source of tension between Scholz and Macron, who has urged allies not to be “cowards” in supporting Ukraine.
Moscow warns NATO members that war could spin out of control
Russia has warned that the war in Ukraine could expand geographically and spin out of control because of the “provocative actions” of individual NATO nations.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow felt the West was walking “on the edge of the abyss” and pushing the world closer to the chasm with its actions over Ukraine, in response to a question from the Reuters news agency.
“This conflict is already underway, and has been going on for more than one year,” Zakharova said. “It’s not so much about the risks of this confrontation, but about the risks of an open, hot phase.”
Zakharova also said the West should abandon the idea of strategically defeating Russia
Kyiv’s volunteers warn border region Russians to leave
Volunteer Russian forces fighting alongside Ukrainians against the Kremlin have urged civilians to flee border areas such as Belgorod and Kursk as they plan large-scale attacks on military targets there.
Groups of volunteer fighters, made up of Russians who oppose President Vladimir Putin, said this week they had crossed from Ukraine into Russia and captured a village in the Kursk region.
“We are forced to inflict shelling on military positions that are stationed in the cities of Belgorod and Kursk,” three groups — the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and Sibir — said in a joint statement.
“We call on the local authorities to preserve human lives and begin evacuating the cities of Kursk and Belgorod,” they added.
Moscow denies that the fighters had gained territory and says it has repelled all incursions. The Ukraine-based militias have claimed to have been behind previous incursions into Russian territory.
Pro-Ukraine Russian militia fights against Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said additional troops and weapons systems would be stationed on the country’s northwestern border with new NATO member Finland.
The announcement came as the Russian leader also warned that Moscow is technically ready for nuclear war.
In an interview on Russian state television, Putin said Finland’s joining NATO was an “absolutely senseless step” that did not align with its national interests.
Both Finland and Sweden applied for membership in the military alliance after Russia staged its all-out invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. Both countries are now members.
What does NATO gain from Sweden and Sweden gain from NATO?
Putin says Russia ready, not willing, for nuclear war
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia is prepared to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to his country’s statehood, sovereignty or independence.
In an interview with Russian state television released early Wednesday, Putin delivered a blunt warning to the West: “The nations that say they have no red lines regarding Russia should realize that Russia won’t have any red lines regarding them either.”
He added that “no one should have any doubts that a direct attack on our country will lead to defeat and horrible consequences for any potential aggressor.”
Putin said Russia’s nuclear triad — nuclear weapons delivered by land, sea and air — was “much more” advanced than those in the West.
“Our triad, the nuclear triad, it is more modern than any other triad,” he said. “Only we and the Americans actually have such triads. And we have advanced much more here,”
The Russian leader has repeatedly spoken about his readiness to use nuclear weapons since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Putin praised US President Joe Biden as someone who fully understands the possible dangers of nuclear escalation, and said he doesn’t think that the world is heading to a nuclear war.
In his state-of-the-nation address last month, Putin warned the West that deepening its involvement in the fighting in Ukraine would risk a nuclear war.
Putin warns of nuclear war if NATO troops sent to Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said France, Germany and Poland are set to hold emergency talks on Ukraine in Berlin on Friday.
The summit of the Weimar Triangle, a format of the three countries that was initially created in 1991, was described as an “emergency and unplanned.”
Tusk made his announcement after discussions about Ukraine in Washington.
Poland is among Ukraine’s strongest allies and has repeatedly urged its Western partners to increase military aid spending for Kyiv to fend off the Russian invasions.
Ukraine strike hits Russian security building
Russia’s TASS news agency says a Ukrainian drone hit a building used by the FSB state security service in the city of Belgorod.
The news comes as a wave of drone strikes targeted Russia’s oil refineries and border regions for the second day in a row on Wednesday.
One of the drones sparked a fire and injured several people in the Ryazan region, officials said.
While dozens of drones were launched overnight, regional governors said the vast majority were shot down causing some damage but no victims.
Russia said the drones were aimed at the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Voronezh regions.
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