"Allies have been clear that any provision of lethal aid by China to Russia would be a historic mistake, with profound implications", NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after the two-day meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. “So far, we have not been able to confirm any provision of lethal aid, but this is something we follow very closely”, said Jens Stoltenberg.

“Every country which provides assistance to Russia in its war against Ukraine becomes an accomplice to aggression and a violator of international law. It is not in China's interest”, French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists at the French Embassy in Beijing before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, China’s Ambassador to the European Union Fu Cong downplayed the Russo-Chinese partnership in an interview with the New York Times. According to Fu Cong, the relationship between Beijing and Moscow “has been deliberately misinterpreted”. The diplomat added that China does not support Russia's war in Ukraine and does not supply Russia with arms, reads an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.