China will impede vital US strategy to stop Ukraine-Russia conflict: Former defense official
Fox News
Former defense official Robert Wilkie argues that China and Russia share a much tighter bond that will provide relief from any punishments the U.S. looks to impose.
The U.S. has threatened to hit Russia with sanctions – both on the state itself and against individuals, including President Vladimir Putin – should it proceed to invade Ukraine.
But Robert L. Wilkie, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness during the Trump administration, said that any such economic punishments would not provide the kind of impact American officials believe it will due to Russia's strong bond with China.
"A lot of the talk about economic sanctions is really a pie in the sky because China is now Russia’s banker," Wilkie argued. "Xi Jinping will back Putin if sanctions from the West come."