UK defense minister says intelligence has evidence of Chinese lethal aid to Russia

British Defense Minister Grant Shapps accused China on Wednesday of providing or preparing to provide Russia with lethal aid for use by Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

That's according to Reuters, Ukrinform reports.

Shapps told a conference in London that U.S. and British defense intelligence had evidence that "lethal aid is now, or will be, flowing from China to Russia and into Ukraine, I think it is a significant development."

Shapps did not provide evidence to support his assertion.

"We should be concerned about that because in the earlier days of this war China would like to present itself as a moderating influence on" Russian President Vladimir Putin, he added.

The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. said last month it had not provided weaponry, adding that it is "not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that China was the main country that provides Russia with the capabilities to wage war against Ukraine by supplying Russia with electronics and technologies for the production of missiles, drones and other weapons.

Tracy Newell, Acting Deputy Chief at the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, expressed a similar opinion, noting that China cannot claim to be a neutral party to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, as it is the largest supplier for the Russian defense industry.

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