US, China Aides To Meet At Rome As Tensions Mount Over Russia-Ukraine Crisis

In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. 바카라�We will not allow that to go forward,바카라� he said.

U.S. officials are also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for chemical or biological weapons attacks launched by Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has made gestures supportive of Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with 바카라�no limits.바카라�

In his talks with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, Sullivan will indeed be looking for limits in what Beijing will do for Moscow.

바카라�I'm not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats," he told CNN in a round of Sunday news show interviews. 바카라�But what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences바카라� if China helps Russia 바카라�backfill바카라� its losses from the sanctions.

바카라�We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world,바카라� he said.

The White House said the talks will focus on the direct impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security.

Biden administration officials say Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. They say China is effectively providing cover if Russia moves ahead with a biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians.

When Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, Sullivan told NBC's 바카라�Meet the Press,바카라� 바카라�it's a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.바카라�

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, on ABC's 바카라�This Week,바카라� said 바카라�we haven't seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical or biological attack right now, but we're watching this very, very closely.바카라�

The striking U.S. accusations about Russian disinformation and Chinese complicity came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged with no evidence that the U.S. was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs. 

The Russian claim was echoed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who claimed there were 26 bio-labs and related facilities in 바카라�which the U.S. Department of Defense has absolute control.바카라� The United Nations has said it has received no information backing up such accusations.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the claims 바카라�preposterous." 

바카라�Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them,바카라� Psaki tweeted last week. "It's a clear pattern.바카라�

Sullivan told 바카라�Face the Nation바카라� on CBS that the Russian rhetoric on chemical and biological warfare is "an indicator that, in fact, the Russians are getting ready to do it and try and pin the blame elsewhere and nobody should fall for that.바카라�

The international community for years has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons in carrying out assassination attempts against Putin detractors such as Alexei Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war.

Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, CIA Director William Burns also noted grave concern that Russia might be laying the groundwork for a chemical or biological attack of its own, which it would then blame on the U.S. or Ukraine in a false flag operation.

바카라�This is something, as all of you know very well, is very much a part of Russia's playbook,바카라� he said. 바카라�They've used these weapons against their own citizens, they've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere, so it's something we take very seriously."

China has been one of few countries to avoid criticizing the Russians for its invasion of Ukraine. China's Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, just weeks before Russia launched the Feb. 24 invasion.

During Putin's visit to China last month, the two leaders issued a 5,000-word statement declaring limitless friendship.

The Chinese abstained on U.N. votes censuring Russia and has criticized economic sanctions against Moscow. It has expressed its support for peace talks and offered its services as a mediator, despite questions about its neutrality and scant experience mediating international conflict.

But questions remain over how far Beijing will go to alienate the alliance and put its own economy at risk. Sullivan said China and all countries are on notice that they cannot 바카라�basically bail Russia out ... give Russia a workaround to the sanctions,바카라� with impunity.

Chinese officials have said Washington shouldn't be able to complain about Russia's actions because the U.S. invaded Iraq under false pretenses.