Beijing is considering providing “weapons” to Russia in order to support her attack on Ukrainewarned today US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who met on Saturday with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

“We talked about the war Russia is waging and the concerns we have that China is considering providing lethal support to Russia,” the US secretary of state told CBS. Asked what that would specifically include, Anthony Blinken said: “Guns mostly.”

The two men met on Saturday night at Munichon the sidelines of the Security Conference, a meeting which US diplomacy described as “frank and direct”.

The US secretary of state warned of “consequences and consequences” for China if it offers “material support” to Russia in its war in Ukraine or helps it evade Western sanctions, State Department spokesman Ned Price said, summarizing the meeting.

The American vice president Kamala Harriswho was present in Munich yesterday, had also cast doubt on China’s stated neutrality.

The United States is “concerned that Beijing deepened its relations with Moscow after the war began,” he stressed.

“Any action by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the carnage and further undermine the rules-based order,” the US vice president warned.