Note:- Write analysis on the given newsin 350-400 words

Topic: -Russia seeks military, economic help from China: USofficials

WASHINGTON: Russia asked China to give it military equipment forthe war in Ukraine and economic support to counteract sanctions,according to US officials.

American officials, determined to keep secret their means ofcollecting the intelligence on Russia’s requests, declined todescribe further the kind of military weapons or aid that Moscow isseeking. The officials also declined to discuss any reaction byChina to the requests.

President Xi Jinping of China has strengthened a partnershipwith Putin and has stood by him as Russia stepped up its militarycampaign in Ukraine. American officials are watching China closelyto see whether it will act on any requests of aid from Russia. JakeSullivan, the White House national security adviser, met on Mondayin Rome with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’selite Politburo and director of the party’s Central Foreign AffairsCommission. Sullivan intended to warn Yang that “we will not allowthat to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia fromthese economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world,”he said. The meeting came one day after U.S. officials told The NewYork Times about Russia’s request for military and economic aidfrom China. It was scheduled as a follow-up discussion to a videosummit meeting between President Biden and Xi in November.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington,said he had never heard of the request from Russia. “The currentsituation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting,” he said, adding thatBeijing wants to see a peaceful settlement. The Bidenadministration is seeking to lay out for China the consequences ofits alignment with Russia and penalties it will incur if itcontinues or increases its support. Some U.S. officials argue itmight be possible to dissuade Beijing from ramping up itsassistance to Moscow. Xi has met with Mr. Putin 38 times asnational leaders, more than with any other head of state, and thetwo share a drive to weaken American power.

Traditionally, China has bought military equipment from Russiarather than the other way around. Russia has increased its sales ofweaponry to China in recent years. But China has advanced missileand drone capabilities that Russia could use in its Ukrainecampaign. Last week, the White House criticised China for helpingspread Kremlin disinformation about the United States and Ukraine.China is also involved in the Iran nuclear negotiations, which havestalled because of new demands from Russia.American officials aretrying to determine to what degree China would support Russia’sposition in those talks. Before Russia raised the requests,officials from the nations involved had been close to clinching areturn to a version of the Obama-era nuclear limits agreement fromwhich President Donald J. Trump withdrew. Sullivan might bring upIran with Yang on Monday.

Current and former US officials say the Rome meeting isimportant, given the lives at stake in the Ukraine war and thepossibility of Russia and China presenting a geopolitical unitedfront against the United States and its allies in the years ahead.Some US officials are looking for ways to compel Xi to distancehimself from Putin on the war. Others see Xi as a lost cause andprefer to treat China and Russia as committed partners, hoping thatmight galvanize policies and coordination among Asian and Europeanallies to contain them both.