China call could stop Russia in Ukraine, US envoy to NATO says
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Mr Matthew Whitaker speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb 13.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
- US Ambassador Whitaker stated China enables Russia's Ukraine war, providing critical parts and buying oil. He believes China could end the conflict. Beijing denies these "baseless criticisms."
- US Democratic leaders at the Munich conference reassured European allies of the US commitment to transatlantic alliances, despite President Trump's past actions.
- Democratic leaders acknowledged strained US-Europe trust but affirmed it is rebuildable. Ambassador Whitaker claimed NATO is "stronger than ever" due to US pressure on spending.
AI generated
MUNICH, Germany – China is providing crucial support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and could end the war with a phone call, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said.
“China could call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” Mr Whitaker said, during a late Feb 13 panel at the Munich Security Conference.
“China could stop buying Russian oil and gas.”
“You know, this war is being completely enabled by China,” the US envoy added, during a panel on US foreign policy moderated by Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua.
China and Russia have forged an even tighter partnership since the start of the war, and Russia relies on China for critical parts and components for drones and other war material. China is also once again the biggest buyer of Russia’s crude oil shipments even as international pressure intensifies on Moscow’s critical oil trade.
Tracking data show 1.65 million barrels a day of crude offloaded at Chinese ports in January. That is the most since March 2024 and the second-highest monthly total since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
China’s Foreign Ministry in a statement on Feb 14 dismissed allegations regarding its support for the war as an “entirely baseless criticism.”
Beijing has repeatedly said it wants to have a “constructive” role in ending the crisis. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Munich this week and offered humanitarian aid to the country
The Munich conference, which runs from Feb 13 to 15, attracts global policy leaders to discuss foreign relations and international security. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the dignitaries assembled.
Mr Whitaker was joined on the Munich Security Conference panel by two potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Other prominent Democratic political figures, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, travelled to the conference, seeking to reassure European allies of US commitment to the transatlantic alliance as President Donald Trump threatens to uproot relationships across the globe.
“The Democratic Party is here for our allies,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez said. “The vast majority of the American people do not want to see these relationships frayed, and they are committed to our allies.”
Ms Whitmer said strains between the US and European allies, including trade tensions and Mr Trump’s pressure campaign to obtain Greenland
“It will take time to rebuild but I’m confident that we’ll do that,” the Michigan governor said.
Mr Whitaker, who Mr Trump appointed as his envoy to NATO, said the alliance is “stronger than ever” because of the US president’s pressure on allies to ramp up military spending.
“The United States of America keeps showing up, and we will keep showing up. We just expect our allies to be equally as strong,” Mr Whitaker said. BLOOMBERG
