The head of Ukraine’s intelligence services, Kirillo Budanov, said in an interview broadcast by Voice of America on Monday that he sees “no indication” that Beijing intends to supply weapons to Moscow.
Speaking regarding recent statements by US officials to the effect that China intends to provide the Russian army with weapons to assist it in its own military operation in Ukraine, accusations that Beijing has strongly denied, Budanov said, “I do not share this opinion.”
In an interview conducted by American radio with him on the 25th of this month, the Ukrainian official added, “At the present time, I do not think that China will agree to the transfer of weapons to Russia … I do not see any indication that such matters are even being discussed,” according to AFP.
After Voice of America pressed him to ask regarding the US accusations, Budanov said, “I am the head of the intelligence service and I, with all due respect to you, do not rely on the opinions of individuals but only on facts. I do not see such facts.”
The interview with the Ukrainian official took place on the eve of statements made by CIA Director William Burns in an interview broadcast by CBS on Sunday night, in which he accused China of considering supplying lethal weapons to Russia.
Burns told the American network, “We are confident that Chinese officials are considering providing Russia with lethal equipment,” according to the French agency.
In his interview with American radio, Budanov confirmed that Iran is “practically the only country that transfers dangerous weapons to Russia.”
“There was information that something came from North Korea, but we don’t have confirmation of that. There is no case where we detected a North Korean weapon here,” he added.
As for the head of Ukrainian intelligence, “Russia is just trying to buy whatever it can afford from wherever it can, because its problems are huge.”