China and Russia both deny the allegations
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News on Monday that Russia had asked China for military assistance amid its military operation in Ukraine, confirming a series of anonymously sourced media reports to that effect, while Chinese and Russian officials have denied the allegations.
“There’s a real tell here, and here’s what the tell is. He’s going to China to get military support, and economic support as well,” Kellogg said in an interview on Fox Business that aired on Monday morning, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“He wouldn’t be reaching out to the Chinese for military aid or support if he wasn’t having some real problems with his own military,” Kellogg continued, adding that he believes the battlefield should be extended in light of this development.
“Extend it by giving the Ukrainians as much support as we can,” he said, adding that, “there’s got to be ways we can get them those jets,” referring to the Polish MiG-29 fighter jets whose transfer to Ukraine has stalled.
Ukraine has asked for the MiGs to bolster its air defenses. Polish authorities have offered to supply them via NATO, a proposal rejected by the Pentagon as too risky as it could be seen by the Russian side as an escalation.
“You’ve got to be creative how you do it, I understand that. But we should give them everything. I don’t care if it’s a rock, I don’t care if it’s a BB gun, I don’t care if it’s a MiG-29,” Kellogg said.
“We just need to help them out and keep pressing the envelope on Putin. We know he’s stretched and that’s why I made the comment about the tell. He wouldn’t be going to the Chinese if he was not having problems in the fight today,” he added.
‘Never Heard of That’
China has denied any Russian requests for military aid, with Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the United States, telling CNN in a statement, “I’ve never heard of that” when asked about reports about such a request coming from Moscow.
By Tom Ozimek
