China's support allows Russia to wage war against Ukraine - Stoltenberg

This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels today during a discussion of the future of the Alliance as part of the NATO Youth Summit, reports an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The war in Ukraine demonstrates that security is not regional, security is global. The main country that is enabling Russia to conduct its war of aggression against Ukraine in Europe, is China. They are by far the biggest trading partner for Russia. They are delivering a critical components to their weapons, microelectronics, advanced technology, which is enabling Russia to build missiles, drones, a lot of other stuff, which is key for their war against Ukraine," said Stoltenberg.

He noted that China and North Korea, which provide Russia with ammunition and weapons, as well as Iran, which supplies Russia with drones, are key to Russia's ability to wage war against Ukraine, a European nation, a friend and neighbor of NATO.

“So, this idea that we can divide Asia from Europe doesn't work anymore. This is interlinked, then we also of course, need to address the security challenges that China's representing for our security," the head of the Alliance said.

According to him, NATO has about 40 partner states around the world, while four of them – Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand – are located in the Indo-Pacific region. According to the Secretary General, this partnership is of special importance for NATO.

The Secretary General emphasized that the Alliance is and will remain a regional defense alliance of North America and Europe, and the article on collective defense will be applied to protect allies in Europe and North America. But at the same time, this entire North Atlantic space faces global threats – in cyber, space, and other domains.

"It's not about moving NATO to the Indo-Pacific, but it's about that China and global threats are coming closer to us. We see China in cyberspace, we see them in Africa, we see in Arctic, we see them trying to control critical infrastructure in our own countries. So, all of this matters for our security in many ways.," Stoltenberg added.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, China’s leader Xi Jinping paid official visits to France, Serbia. and Hungary. At the talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, the Chinese president said China and France should jointly promote the creation of a multipolar world and prevent a new cold war. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Xi Jinping's visit to Europe "very successful."

Photo: NATO