With China increasingly coming out in support of Russia in the ongoing Ukraine standoff, the US Pentagon on Monday called China’s “tacit support” for Moscow in the Ukraine stand-off “deeply alarming”, AFR reported. “Their [China's] tacit support, if you will, for Russia is deeply alarming,” Pentagon press secretary Kirby told reporters. “And frankly, it’s even more destabilising to the security situation in Europe.”
The Biden administration had earlier warned Russia of “severe consequences” in case its forces invade Ukraine and insisted on a diplomatic solution to the issue. “We are actively working to reach a diplomatic solution to de-escalate the crisis. Over the weekend, as you all know, the president spoke with President Putin, and we remain engaged with the Russian government in full coordination with our allies and partners,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage constructively,” she said.
“However, we are clear-eyed about the prospects of that, given the steps Russia is taking on the ground,” she said, as President Joe Biden reached out to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss the situation. The leaders discussed their recent diplomatic engagements with Ukraine and Russia, said the White House in a readout.
The US is ready for any situation, she asserted. “President Biden has made it very clear on his call with Putin this weekend that if Russia undertakes a further invasion of Ukraine, the United States, together with our allies and partners, will respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs on Russia,” she noted. Biden reiterated that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine would produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia's standing, she said.
