UK Has Proof China Is Giving Russia Lethal Aid, Defense Minister Says

U.K. defense minister Grant Shapps said he has evidence that China is supplying Russia with lethal aid for its war in Ukraine.

Shapps, speaking May 22 during a London defense industry conference, said China is part of an “axis of authoritarian states,” which also includes Russia, Iran and North Korea, that have “increasingly been working together” and that have fueled conflicts and tensions around the world.

“And today I can reveal that we have evidence that Russia and China are collaborating on combat equipment for use in Ukraine,” Shapps said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. “As we saw from Putin’s state visit to Beijing and the 64% growth in trade between Russia and China since the full-scale invasion … they’re covering each other’s back.”

Shapps also told the conference that "lethal aid is now, or will be, flowing from China to Russia and into Ukraine,” according to a May 22 Reuters report, which also said Shapps didn’t provide evidence of that lethal aid.

The U.S. has sanctioned Chinese companies for aiding Russian firms connected to the country’s military, but officials have so far declined to say China has supplied Russia with lethal aid to use against Ukraine (see 2307190057). That determination could lead to new sanctions against Beijing.