The US accuses China of “subsidizing” Russia
22 July 2025 15:55
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said that China should be “exposed for subsidizing” Russia’s war in Ukraine, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing Bloomberg.
He reminded that the Trump administration is threatening to impose special tariffs if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal.
“China believes that it is fighting a proxy war over Russia, and we see in some of the statements of the Chinese government that they want to keep the United States and our allies engaged in this war so that we can’t focus on other strategic challenges,”
– whitaker said in the Fox Business program.
“China, in my opinion, made a miscalculation. I think they need to be exposed for subsidizing these killings that are taking place on the battlefields in Ukraine.”
– he added.
These words come a week after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tough economic sanctions on Russia if it does not end the war in Ukraine within 50 days. Trump has announced his intention to impose 100% tariffs, which officials have characterized as secondary levies that will affect countries that buy Russian exports, particularly oil.
China’s imports of Russian oil have increased since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Such oil purchases are a form of tacit support for Russia, helping to strengthen its economy and undermine sanctions. Russian crude oil exports hit a one-month high ahead of Trump’s threats of tariffs on Russian oil buyers.
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But the Americans are now trying to sound very convincing.
“Secondary sanctions will be significant. They will affect countries that buy Russian oil, be it China, India or Brazil,”
– mr. Whitaker said.
The threat comes at a critical time for U.S.-China relations, when a temporary trade truce between the world’s two largest economies is set to expire next month. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that he will meet with his Chinese counterparts for talks next week in Stockholm.
Bessent said earlier this week that the next round of talks between the two countries could include a discussion of Chinese purchases of both Russian and Iranian oil.
Trump has previously raised the issue of increasing economic pressure on Russia, but has not followed through, and trade analysts have said that secondary tariffs would be difficult to implement. Now, the US is somewhat toughening up its rhetoric towards Russia and China and demonstrating its readiness for tough measures.
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