Russia seeks military aid from China amid Ukraine assault: US media

Russia has sought military assistance from China in Ukraine, since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times and Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing U.S. officials.

The US newspaper, quoting the official, also claimed that Kremlin has asked China for economic assistance in the wake of sanctions imposed by the West.

The Washington Post said the unidentified US officials did not state the kind of weaponry that had been requested or how China had responded.

China has, however, refuted claims of Moscow seeking weapons.

The spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington responded to the claims by saying, "I've never heard of that."

The spokesperson, Liu Pengyu, said China's priority was to prevent the tense situation in Ukraine from getting out of control.

"The current situation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting," he said in an emailed response to a query from Reuters.

"The high priority now is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even getting out of control."

There are already reports of Russian banks tying up with the Chinese counterparts on the possibility of issuing "co-badged" cards powered by payment systems like Chinese state-owned UnionPay and Russia's Mir for international payments after Visa and Mastercard ceased operations in Russia.

Russia, which calls its action in Ukraine a "special operation," and China have tightened cooperation as they have come under strong Western pressure over human rights and a raft of other issues.

Beijing has not condemned Russia's attack and does not call it an invasion, but has urged a negotiated solution.

The White House's National Security Council declined to comment.