China is flogging arms to Russia in a major boost to Putin’s war in Ukraine, Britain’s Defence Minister claimed. Spies tracked “lethal aid” from China to Russia and into Ukraine, Grant Shapps revealed Wednesday.
He said intel reports were a “significant development” and warned: “We should be concerned.”
Shapps said it blows open China’s claim to be a handbrake on Putin’s Ukraine slaughter.
He told the London Defence Conference: “US and British defence intelligence can reveal that lethal aid is now flowing from China to Russia and into Ukraine.
“We should be concerned about that because in the earlier days of this war, China would like to present itself as a moderating influence.”
Spies have long suspected China was arming Putin’s forces.
But Western officials said the scale of the aid was smaller than Putin needed.
Shapps warned an “axis of authoritarian states led by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea” were increasingly working together.
He added: “Russia and China are collaborating on combat equipment for us in Ukraine.”
North Korea sold Russia artillery shells while Iran has provided its devastating Shahed one-way attack drones.
Shapps did not reveal what type of China was selling.
Russia has lost almost 3,000 tanks, 10,000 armored vehicles, and 450,000 soldiers either killed or injured in Ukraine, according to UK estimates.
A similar claim was made by US officials last month, who said China is backing Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by providing Moscow with drone and missile technology, satellite imagery, and machine tools.
The Chinese embassy responded that it is “not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis”.
