West can't just watch China support Russia — American expert Daniel Fried

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“China's position is one of the key international factors in Russia's calculations about the war. China has supported Russia by providing a lot of the technology and parts it needs to conduct its war. The United States is not happy with this. 

Secretary of State Tony Blinken visited Beijing and urged the Chinese to back off. The United States has imposed sanctions on certain Chinese companies that have been evading sanctions. These efforts are likely to continue and even escalate if China continues its current course. It is interesting that President Putin visited Beijing, and from what I understand, the results of this visit were limited. The Chinese are willing to help the Russians but not quite as much as the Russians would like. It seems that in this Chinese-Russian partnership, so-called "without limits," there are indeed limits,” Fried explained.

According to the expert, Europe and the UScannot just watch as China supports Russia in its war with Ukraine.

“Nevertheless, the Chinese position seems to be that it doesn't want Russia to lose and will support Russia. The United States and Europe need to continue to urge and, if necessary, push the Chinese to back off their support for Russia. Now, this is easier said than done. This is not simple. But China's position is a significant problem, and we should not make it easy for the Chinese to continue supporting Putin's aggressive war against Ukraine,” he added.

• On the evening of Wednesday, May 15, Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived in China. There he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They later issued a joint statement on Ukraine.
• Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, said that Russia could not have continued the war in Ukraine without the support of China, North Korea and Iran.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia imports 70% of machinery and 90% of microelectronics from China.
• On May 22, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that China is helping Russia with weapons for the war against Ukraine.