China starts or is preparing to start supplying russia with lethal weapons - British Defense Minister

British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said that China is either preparing or has already started providing russia with lethal weapons for use in the war against Ukraine.

He made the corresponding statement today at a conference in London, his words are quoted by the Reuters agency.

According to him, British and US intelligence agencies have evidence that Beijing is already or intends to supply russia with lethal weapons.

"We should be concerned about this because in the early days of this war, China would like to present itself as a deterrent to russian president vladimir putin," Shapps said.

Reuters notes that the head of the British Defense Ministry did not provide evidence to support his claim.

It will be recalled that on May 17, the American publication Newsweek reported with reference to its own sources that the United States urged China to make a choice between supporting russia or good relations with the West.

And in late April, the chief diplomat of the European Union in Asia, Niclas Kvarnström, said that the rapprochement between China and russia threatens Beijing with the deterioration of relations with Brussels.

As Ukrainian News Agency reported, it became known earlier that North Korea handed russia 7,000 containers with military aid.

Among them are artillery shells that North Korean gunsmiths produced in the 70s of the last century.