NATO's top official warns China

NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg has urged China to halt its "growing alignment" with Russia, warning that any military assistance from Beijing to Moscow during the conflict in Ukraine would be a "historic mistake" with major consequences. Speaking after the conclusion of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Stoltenberg sounded alarms over Moscow's friendly ties with the People's Republic, suggesting Beijing could soon offer weapons to Russia despite its insistence that it has no plans to do so. Washington has previously threatened a response to Chinese military support, while the US Treasury has already moved ahead with sanctions for several China-based companies accused of supplying parts for drones allegedly used by Russian forces. Beijing has rejected any suggestion that it intends to supply weapons to Moscow, insisting it is "completely objective" towards the conflict and accusing US officials of spreading "disinformation". Russia and China have stepped up relations over the last year, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping vowing to further deepen military mutual trust.

NATO has agreed to create a "strategic multi-year assistance program" for Kiev, hoping it will increase Ukraine's interoperability with NATO and bring it up to NATO standards. However, NATO's position on membership is unchanged, with one unnamed Western diplomat recently telling the Financial Times that NATO is simply "ignoring" Kiev's membership application. The alliance first offered a seat to Ukraine back in 2008, but little progress has been made in the 15 years since, with one unnamed Western diplomat recently telling the Financial Times that NATO is simply "ignoring" Kiev's membership application.