China must pay for Russia's Ukraine war – NATO chief

The NATO chief told the BBC that China will face consequences if it does not change its ways in supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.

Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing was “trying to have it both ways” by supporting Russia's war effort, while also trying to maintain ties with European allies.

“It cannot work in the long term,” Mr Stoltenberg told BBC News during a visit to Washington.

In the wide-ranging interview, Mr. Stoltenberg also spoke about nuclear weapons and defense spending.

His comments come as Russia shows no signs of easing its war on Ukraine.

A peace conference was held in Switzerland The weekend saw dozens of countries pledge to back Kiev, but Russia called it a waste of time and said it would only agree to peace talks if Ukraine essentially capitulated.

When pressed on what NATO members could do about China's support for Russia, Mr Stoltenberg said there was an “ongoing conversation” about possible sanctions.

He said China is “sharing a lot of technology, (such as) micro-electronics, which is key for Russia to build missiles, the weapons they used against Ukraine”.

He added that “at some point, if China doesn't change its behavior, we should consider some kind of economic cost”.

Beijing is already under some sanctions for its support of Russia – last month, the US announced sanctions that would target around 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.

China has defended its trade with Moscow, saying it is not selling lethal weapons and “discreetly manages the export of dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations”.

Mr Stoltenberg's visit to Washington came as the Kremlin confirmed it Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on Tuesday.

This follows his visit to China last month.

Russia has been increasingly isolated on the world stage since launching its full-scale war with Ukraine in 2022. Mr Putin has repeatedly said the balance of power in the West is shifting, and he has worked to strengthen ties with like-minded leaders.

“Russia is aligning more and more with authoritarian leaders at the moment,” Mr Stoltenberg told the BBC, listing Iran, Beijing and North Korea.

He said the North sent artillery shells to Russia and in return Russia gave North Korea advanced technology for its missile and nuclear programs.

“So North Korea is helping Russia wage a war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Speaking ahead of a meeting with US President Joe Biden, the NATO chief also announced that more than 20 countries are expected to meet the 2% defense spending target this year – more than any other year since the pledge was made in 2014.

“It's good for Europe and good for America, especially since most of that extra money is spent here in the United States,” he said.

Mr Stoltenberg also addressed comments he made in Sunday's Telegraph which indicated that NATO was considering increasing the number of deployable warheads as a counter to growing threats from Russia and China.

The comments were criticized by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as “nothing but another escalation of tensions”.

But Mr Stoltenberg said they were a “common message” that Nato was a nuclear alliance and any attack on a Nato member would “trigger a response from the whole alliance”.

He said, NATO's purpose is not to make war, its purpose is to prevent war.