New Delhi: The US accused China on Sunday of considering arming Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, raising tensions as the war hits its one-year mark this week, the news agency AFP reported.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the charges as US-China ties were further put to the test earlier this month when Washington shot down what it claimed was a large Chinese surveillance balloon.
The European Union also raised concerns over the use of munitions in the conflict in Ukraine, claiming that serious ammunition shortages faced by Ukrainian forces must be solved within weeks.
According to AFP, Blinken told CBS that China was now "considering providing lethal support" to Moscow ranging "from ammunition to the weapons themselves."
"We've made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship," he added.
He made similar comments in a series of interviews from Germany, where on Saturday he attended the Munich Security Conference and met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
Also at the Munich conference, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a stark warning about Ukraine's dwindling supplies of bullets and similar munitions as it fights back against Russia's invasion, AFP reported.
"(Let's) accelerate our military support to Ukraine because Ukraine is in a critical situation from the point of view with ammunition available," Borrell said.
"This shortage of ammunition has to resolve quickly, it's a matter of weeks."
There have been concerns China is deepening ties with Russia despite the conflict but Wang insisted that Beijing was playing a constructive role, and would support dialogue and potential peace talks.
In an appearance on ABC on Sunday, Blinken stressed that US President Joe Biden had warned his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as early as last March against sending weapons to Russia.
Since then, "China has been careful not to cross that line, including by holding off on selling lethal weapons systems for use on the battlefield," AFP quoted an administration source familiar with the issue as saying.
(With inputs from AFP)