He said this and China’s support for Russia’s war economy showed how security challenges in Europe were linked to Asia and added that next month’s NATO summit in Washington would see a further strengthening of the alliance’s partnerships with Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.
Stoltenberg said there needed to be “consequences” at some stage for China.
“They cannot continue to have normal trade relationships with countries in Europe and at the same time fuel the biggest war we have seen in Europe since the Second World War,” he said.
Stoltenberg said it was too early to say what those consequences might be, “but it has to be an issue that we need to address because to continue as we do today is not viable.”
Secretary Blinken said Putin’s visit to North Korea was a sign of his “desperation” to strengthen relations with countries that can support his war in Ukraine.
Blinken added that China’s support had enabled Russian to maintain its defence industrial base, supplying 70 per cent of the machine tools Moscow is importing and 90 per cent of the microelectronics. “That has to stop,” he said.
