China Should Pay For Propping Up Putin's War: NATO

The head of NATO says China should face consequences for supporting Russia's war in Ukraine if it does not change its ways, Sumi Somaskanda and Tiffany Wertheimer reported for BBC News.

Stoltenberg's comments come as Russia shows no sign of easing its war against Ukraine. I Photo: Володимир Зеленський  Facebook

Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing was "trying to get it both ways" by supporting Russia's war effort while trying to maintain relationships with European allies. "This cannot work in the long run," Stoltenberg told the BBC during a visit to Washington.

Stoltenberg also addressed nuclear weapons and defense spending. His comments come as Russia shows no sign of easing its war against Ukraine.

Stoltenberg added that "at some stage, we should consider some kind of economic cost if China doesn't change its behavior."

A peace summit held in Switzerland over 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.

Stoltenberg said there was an "ongoing conversation" about possible sanctions. He said China was "sharing a lot of technologies, like microelectronics, 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 its behavior."

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.