Russia has requested both military and financial assistance from China amid the conflict in Ukraine.
Among the assistance Russia requested was pre-packaged, non-perishable military food kits, known in the US as "meal, ready-to-eat," or MREs, according to two sources familiar with the matter, CNN informs.
One of the sources suggested that food might be a request that China would be willing to meet, because it stops short of lethal assistance that would be seen as provocative by the west.
It is not yet clear whether China intends to provide Russia with that assistance.
But during an intense, seven-hour meeting in Rome, a top aid to US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart of "potential implications and consequences" for China should support for Russia be forthcoming, a senior administration official said.