The United States has not seen evidence of any recent Chinese weapons shipments to its ally Russia as Moscow wages its war in Ukraine, a top US official said Tuesday.

Washington has raised concerns about Beijing helping Moscow in the midst of the bloody but stalled invasion.

"We have not seen… the provision of military equipment by China to Russia. But of course, this is something we are monitoring closely," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

President Joe Biden held a nearly two-hour call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last Friday in which the White House says he warned Xi against bailing out Russia's economy from Western sanctions or assisting Moscow's war effort.

"We will continue to monitor it, and the president made clear to President Xi the implications and consequences of any such provision of equipment, and they very well understand one another," Sullivan added.

Biden is preparing for a trip to Europe where he meets EU leaders and huddles with NATO allies on Thursday, and he "will certainly consult on the question of China's potential participation in the conflict of Ukraine while he's in Brussels," Sullivan said.

Biden and European partners are "very much on the same page" on the issue of China's possible cooperation with Russia, according to the White House.

During Biden's visit, he and European leaders on Thursday will unveil "a further package of sanctions" against Russia and tighten the punitive measures already in place, Sullivan said.

The announcement will not focus only new steps, "but on ensuring that there is joint effort to crack down on evasion on sanctions," he added.

China envoy says Beijing not now sending arms to Russia
Washington (AFP) March 20, 2022 –

China's ambassador to the US said Sunday his country was not sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, but he did not definitively rule out the possibility Beijing might do so in the future.

In a lengthy phone call Friday, US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that there would be "consequences" if Beijing provided material support to Moscow as it prosecutes its war against Kyiv.

Asked Sunday on CBS whether China might send money or weapons to Russia, Ambassador Qin Gang spoke about the present, saying: "There is disinformation about China providing military assistance to Russia. We reject that."

Instead, "what China is doing is sending food, medicine, sleeping bags and baby formula, not weapons and ammunition to any party," he said.

Beijing, which shares with Moscow a sense of hostility and resentment toward the United States, has been loath to criticize its Russian ally over the invasion of Ukraine, despite urging by US, British and other officials.

Qin, interviewed on CBS talk show "Face the Nation," said Beijing was continuing to "promote peace talks and urge immediate cease-fire."

But the sort of public condemnation urged by many in the West "doesn't help," he said. "We need reason. We need courage. And we need good diplomacy."

The Chinese foreign ministry has said the West must take Russian security concerns into account.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday lent his voice to calls for China to join in condemning the Russian invasion.

"As time goes on, and as the number of Russian atrocities mounts up, I think it becomes steadily more difficult and politically embarrassing for people either actively or passively to condone Putin's invasion," he told the Sunday Times.

Mikhailo Podolyak, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pleaded with Beijing on Saturday to "condemn Russian barbarism."

Were Beijing to deliver military support to Russia, analysts say, it could transform an already explosive transatlantic standoff into a global dispute pitting the West against the world's second-biggest economy, prompting turmoil on international markets.

Ukraine urges China to play 'important role' in conflict resolution
Kyiv (AFP) March 21, 2022 –

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on China Monday to play an "important role" in efforts to resolve Kyiv's conflict with Moscow.

"We share Beijing's position on the need to find a political solution to the war against Ukraine and call on China as a global power to play an important role in this effort," Kuleba said on Twitter.

The call came after Kyiv last week urged Beijing to condemn President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

China, which shares Russia's hostilities towards the United States, has stayed silent on Putin's actions in Ukraine.

Last week, US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that there would be "consequences" if Beijing provided material support to Moscow.

China's ambassador to the US said Sunday his country was not sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, but he did not definitively rule out the possibility Beijing might do so in the future.

Other Western countries have also urged China to condemn Putin's Ukraine actions.