China-Russia relationship is concerning, says Nato secretary-general | BBC News

secretary great to sit down with you thank you so much I want to ask you first of all about this piece of news that we saw that Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to travel to North Korea for a two-day visit and a Kremlin Aid has been quoted as saying that the visit would include a partnership agreement which would need to include security issues what do you make of this it demonstrates how Russia now is aligning more and more with authoritarian leaders uh Iran uh Beijing but also with North Korea and North Korea has delivered uh more than 1 million shells for artillery uh to Russia so North Korea is helping Russia to conduct a war of aggression against Ukraine and in return Russia is delivering technology for the missile and nuclear programs will there be a specific NATO response to whatever this agreement looks like well our response has been clear all the way that that this just shows how dependent uh Russia now is on other author Powers but also how Russia is violating un Security Council agreements on not supporting North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs so it it shows that security is not the regional what happens in in Ukraine in Europe matters for Asia and what happens in Asia matters for Europe on that you spoke to the telegraph over the weekend about NATO’s nuclear posture I know that it hasn’t broadly change but you did say it’s important to quote communicate the direct message that we of course are a nuclear Alliance is there a specific threat here that you were referring to that that you believe NATO needs to counter now this is a general message that NATO remains a nuclear Alliance uh that’s our ultimate deterrence the purpose of NATO is not to fight the war the purpose of NATO is to prevent the war to ensure that any potential adversary knows that an attack on NATO will trigger response from the whole Alliance and and therefore we need uh also the Ultimate Security guarantees that the nuclear weapons provide regardless of Kremlin the spokesperson Demitri pesov said your words were quote nothing else but an escalation what’s your response well this is nothing new NATO has had a nuclear deterrent since we were founded uh and uh and U this is we are transparent about this so there are no changes this is so it’s not an escalation not at all it’s Russia that is escalating by partly um having lot of dangerous nuclear rhetoric but also by actually threatening uh uh to use nuclear weapons uh in uh in Ukraine nuclear weapons um shall never be used and a nuclear war should never be fought and can never be won and that has to be fully understood in Moscow I want to ask you about something you mentioned in your comments today you said allies need to impose a cost on China unless its support for Russia stops what do you think that cost should look like well that’s a bit too early to say but but the reality is that China is is trying to get get it both ways they China is propping up the Russian war economy they are sharing a lot of uh Technologies micro Electronics which are key for Russia to build missiles uh uh weapons they use against Ukraine but at the same time China tries to maintain normal economic relationships with uh European NATO allies so you think there should be sanctions perhaps at some stage we should consider some kind of economic cost if China doesn’t change their behavior because now China is the main uh supporter of Russia’s war effort War aggression against Ukraine the biggest war in Europe since the second world war and at the same time they’re trying to have normal relationship with European allies and this this cannot work in the long run a quick followup on that have you spoke to Nato member states about possible sanctions what that cost could look like well this is an ongoing conversation among NATO allies on how to deal with the security con consquences of the fact that China is propping up Russia’s war effort in Ukraine it’s not for NATO to make decisions on sanctions as that’s for individual allies the European Union us but of course a discussion about what are the consequences for China if they continue to provide support that’s something that goes on uh among NATO allies another point of news from NATO on Friday NATO agreed to play a bigger role in coordinating weapons deliveries and you said it would put quote our support for Ukraine on a firmer footing for years to come is this a direct response to concerns about a change in the white house after November well what we have seen is that NATO allies have provided unprecedented support to Ukraine but at the same time this winter we saw serious delays and gaps in our support and we need to do whatever we can to ensure that we prevent those kind of gaps in the uh in the future uh because we know that the the stronger our support to Ukraine uh the sooner the war can end because the quicker and Putin will understand that he cannot wait us out and therefore I I’m I hope that allies can agree a more long-term uh uh pledge support to Ukraine and also to give NATO a stronger role in providing that support but Donald Trump the former president doesn’t agree and he said over the weekend that the scale of us support for Ukraine is too much and he called president zalinski the greatest salesman of all time and he said quote he just left 4 days ago with $60 billion and he gets home and he announces that he needs another 60 billion it never ends do you have a response to that well I strongly believe that it will not be in the security interest of the United States if President Putin wins in Ukraine because that will send a message to him but also to president shei that when they violate international law when they invade another country they get what they want so uh this is not only about Ukraine it’s also about sending a message to pres she that he’s not used military force against Taiwan or uh in any way in the in the Asia Pacific so therefore it is in the US security interest to ensure that Ukraine uh prevails we have to remember that European allies are really matching what the US is doing it’s not the US doing this alone uh European allies are providing as much M support Ukraine as the United States you also said in your remarks today that NATO will continue to bring Ukraine closer to membership so when the time is right it can join without delay is there any indication of when that time would be because Ukraine is interested obviously in joining the alliance as soon as possible I’m not able to say when that decision will be taken because to uh be invited to Nato we need not a majority of NATO allies to agree but we need all allies we need consensus but in the meantime we are building a bridge we are moving Ukraine closer to membership uh not least by uh providing them Military Support to ensure that they have the NATO standards the NATO doctrines and are more and more what we call interoperable with NATO so when the time is right we can make Ukraine uh a member of the Alliance straight away looking ahead to the summit that will be held here in Washington in July what are you hoping will be reached um at this Summit that we are sending a very clear message to Moscow that uh we are uh supporting Ukraine for Long Haul uh and also that we agree a long-term pledge U support but also NATO stronger NATO role in providing this support because that will con help to convince Moscow that they have to sit down and agree a a just uh peaceful solution to this war that ensures that Ukraine can continue as a sovereign independent nation in Europe Moscow has given no indication it’s willing to sit down or even interested in that no and that’s the problem because Moscow believes that they if they just wait a year or two then they will wait us out and then they will get what they want we need to convey to them that they can not wait us out who had to convey a very long-term commitment and by conveying a longterm commitment Ukraine that can help to end this war soon so the Paradox is the longer we can commit the stronger our support to Ukraine the soon we can have an end to the war Mr secretary thank you so much for the conversation thanks so much for having me

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned China that it must stop financially supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The BBC’s Sumi Somaskanda interviewed Stoltenberg about international politics related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In a wide-ranging interview, the Secretary General clarified that NATO’s position with regards to nuclear deterrence remains unchanged, following his comments to the Telegraph about the nuclear threat from an alliance of North Korea, Russia and China.

Mr Stoltenberg also suggested a possible “economic cost” should be imposed on China should it continue to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He also spoke about the impact of US politics on support for Ukraine.

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29 comments

  2. Authoritarian? The west is authoritarian as well, its just that their people have been surrounded by an illusion of freedom. The ruling class of the west and the elites are all authoritarian demonic psychopaths.

    I'd rather be approached by a clear enemy than to face a hypocrite pretending to be a friend.

  5. Yeah welcome to the real world, poppet Stoltenberg.
    NATO has never protected anybody! All it is just a so called “democratic” version of what hitler was trying! But yeah history always repeats itself! I’m wondering if the system is built by design that way or if mankind is just that stupid!

  6. ‘If China doesn’t change its behavior’. Did he really say that? Does he understand China is a super power and not a child? To speak of ‘consequences’ for a country/ super power? Damn……….NATO had a superiority complex. They started this whole dilemma because they wanted to expand…. Now its backfired and they’re crying about it.

    I thought in a democracy, people speak and negotiate with the other side. Not dictate to them. Russia submitted a ceasefire proposal, where is the counteroffer from Ukraine?????? Instead the Western leaders/ NATO countries speak on Ukraines behalf……… What is going on in the world today😢.

  7. Bravo again, the West does champion HYPOCRISY so well, this is indeed another cringe worthy performance by yet another arrogant self-proclaimed superior lying Imperialist, how despicable!!!!!

  12. How can such a stupid person play such an important role. Is he some kind of comedian, just like Zelensky. Ukraine has not enough soldiers and what they have gets killed in masses. The longer this tragedy lasts the less will remain of a viable Ukraine.

  13. The instigator of all our woes.A modern war criminal of monstrous proportions.Hus country has no nuclear weapons.We in the UK wil, be targeted.Will he be here or in his pathetic country when we are targeted.I do not think so .War monger.

  21. ONG! They are kids, the playground bullies are out to get the West and trying to kill the West. But they are not as Smart as they think they are, just like Hitler playing with fire and it backfired. Bullies as evil as these two will have what’s coming to them! Just watch and see them go down and beg for mercy! ONG. They are trying to intimidate the Western countries openly and threatening nuclear war. Kim is just a big spoiled brat with a gun in his hand ready to serve Putin the bully! Unbelievable!

  23. This Nazis need to understand hhe can dictate nothing to China he need to wake up u think Russia doesn't have friends this man is a idiote à fascist nazis ans à Zionist u already lost continu to sacrifice Ukrainians people they nothing left million Ukrainian already dead gif nothing nato will collapse soon make my world

  27. Eufrat river is drying, Armageddon is coming… Turn on to God JHWH and Jesus Christ. Respect His 10 Commands. Read the Bible, Word of God. First read the New Testament and after read the Old Testament. Our King, Jesus Christ from Nazareth is coming back. Avoid reading apocrypha, avoid the lies of the Vatican and ecumeny with it.

    Rev 16:12-16: "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."

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