The U.S. has detected worrisome signs of more substantial participation in Russia’s war in Ukraine from an influential force: China.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said from the Munich Security Conference that the Chinese – who a year ago declared their friendship with Russia has “no limits” – are pondering expanding their backing of Moscow, which so far has not included weapons.
“The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they’re considering providing lethal support,” Blinken told CBS’s “Face the Nation” in an interview that aired Sunday, “and we’ve made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship.”
Boosting the Kremlin’s diminishing arsenal could not only stack the odds against Western-backed Ukraine but raise the specter of escalating the conflict into a world war. Russia is already getting assistance from Iran, which has supplied it explosive drones mostly used to damage Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
Blinken said Russia has corresponded by providing Iran military equipment that includes sophisticated fighter jets.
“There’s an increasingly noxious relationship between Russia and Iran,” Blinken said. “This is something that we’ve been talking about with allies and partners around the world. That relationship is a growing concern.”
Latest developments:
►Blinken cited the Yale University study, funded by the State Department, that found more than 6,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to 43 Russian centers for re-education and in some cases placement with Russian families. “Some of these places are closer to Alaska than they are to Ukraine,” he said. “Separating them from their families and then having them adopted by Russians.”
►Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the West should not restore normal relations with Russia until the Kremlin pays for its actions in Ukraine. “I don’t think there can be any relations as usual with a pariah state that hasn’t really given up the imperialistic goals,” Kallas said. “If we don’t learn this lesson and don’t prosecute the crimes of aggression, the war crimes will just continue.”
STRONGER SUPPORT:As war in Ukraine approaches one-year mark, foreign policy leaders call for increased military aid
Quick spending of foreign aid can lead to ‘fraud, waste and abuse’
Keep an eye on the money. That’s the message from some lawmakers in Washington, concerned that funds spent helping Ukraine fend off the Russian aggression may land in the wrong hands.
Congress appropriated $113 billion in weaponry and financial aid to Ukraine last year, and more is coming. By comparison, the U.S. spent $146 billion in military and humanitarian assistance over 20 years in Afghanistan, though the cost of sending U.S. troops there was far higher.
The Pentagon says there are mechanisms in place to prevent misuse of the funds, but John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, has a warning:
“When you spend so much money so quickly, with so little oversight, you’re going to have fraud, waste and abuse,” he told USA TODAY. “Massive amounts.”
– Tom Vanden Brook and Rachel Looker
VP Kamala Harris says Russia has committed ‘crimes against humanity’
U.S. officials say Russia has not only committed war crimes in Ukraine but also crimes against humanity, a designation for widespread and systematic attacks on civilians that Secretary of State called “the most egregious crimes.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also made the accusation Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, saying Russia must be held accountable for “gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape and deportation,” along with, “execution-style killings, beatings and electrocution.”
She cited the horrific sight of civilian bodies discovered bound and tortured after Russian troops left the town of Bucha following their failed takeover of Kyiv in the spring, as well as the March bombing of a theater in the besieged city of Mariupol where civilians had been sheltering. Hundreds were killed in that assault despite huge signs pointing out children were in the premises. Harris also mentioned the forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.
“In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt,” said Harris, a former California attorney general. “These are crimes against humanity.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
