The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, is "sure" that China is considering sending weapons to Russia.
Burns said this in an interview with CBS News.
"We are sure that the Chinese leadership is considering the possibility of providing lethal equipment. [...] Secretary of State Blinken and President [Joe Biden] felt it was important to make clear what the consequences of this would be. That would be a very risky and unwise bet," Burns said.
This week, a senior Chinese diplomat visited Moscow for the first time since the war in Ukraine began, and Western intelligence said that while Russia has transitioned its economy to a military-style economy, it is still running out of missiles and drones and is bypassing Beijing for an arms deal..
Senior US officials have said that China is directly considering supplying kamikaze drones to Russia.
- The day before, the publication Der Spiegel wrote that Russia is negotiating with China on the supply of lethal weapons and a batch of a hundred ZT-180 kamikaze drones, which are capable of carrying a warhead weighing from 35 to 50 kg. These drones are similar to Iranʼs Shahed-136.
- On February 23, 2023, NATO saw signs that China was "considering and possibly planning" to send weapons to Russia to help it in its war in Ukraine.