Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană discusses the wars in Russia and Gaza at the 75th anniversary summit of the alliance.
NATO sees China as directly enabling the war between Russia and Ukraine, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said.
“China is a partner of Russia,” Geoană told Euronews in an exclusive interview at the summit in Washington. “The reality is that there is a pattern of aggressiveness basically fueling the war Russia (is waging) in Ukraine. So this means that China is a threat to our security.”
His words came after NATO allies at the summit crafted a stern communique calling out China as an “enabler” — making it clear that Beijing had become the focus of the military alliance.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused China of providing Russia with tools and microelectronics, enabling the Kremlin to build its military arsenal against Ukraine.
Beijing has refuted the claims by saying that it does not provide military assistance to Moscow, its trade partner, in a statement by its foreign ministry.
China claimed that its trade with Russia was legitimate and based on rules set out by the World Trade Organisation.
According to Geoană, the language adopted by NATO members in its communique was “more clear, but also careful”.
“We are not declaring China is our enemy. It is not. They are a serious challenge to European security. And this is a fact,” he added. “This no-limit partnership between Russia and China is deepening and becoming more complex.”
China’s trade with Russia has only grown since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, offsetting some of the effects of intense Western economic sanctions.
Geoană also namechecked Iran, North Korea and Belarus as other enablers of Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
When asked about the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, Geoană said that NATO was “basically not involved” in the conflict despite acknowledging that its allies were in various forms.
He said that it was important to end hostilities in the conflict, which is entering its ninth month and avoid escalation in the Middle East.
World leaders have been quick to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine over the summit, pledging support for Ukraine’s military, including air defence systems crucial for Ukraine to stave off Moscow’s advances.
However, allies stopped short of letting Ukraine into the alliance — at least until the war on its territory ended, with member states confirming that Ukraine was on an “irreversible” path to its membership.