China is studying possibilities for exporting drones and ammunition to Russia to fuel Moscow’s war effort against Ukraine, sources familiar with the US intelligence community reports told CNN and The Wall Street Journal.
According to CNN, Beijing is yet to make a final decision, but talks between Russia and China about the price and quantities of supplies are ongoing.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow has repeatedly requested drones and ammo from Beijing. The Chinese leadership has been discussing whether to grant these requests in the last few months, CNN notes.
The US intelligence received reports in the past weeks that Beijing started to lean towards sending the weapons, CNN sources claim. At the same time, the ammo “would likely be for small arms like handheld weaponry rather than larger artillery”.
However, WSJ sources say that China is looking into supplying “artillery and armed drones”.