China has renewed its warnings over the potential use of nuclear weapons in the Russia-Ukraine war, in response to recent speculation about the possibility of the U.S. stationing them in the embattled country to deter future Russian aggression.
"China is paying close attention to the nuclear risks triggered by the Ukraine crisis and has reiterated time and again that nuclear weapons should not be used and nuclear war must not be fought," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during Thursday's regular press conference.
She'd been asked to respond to last week's New York Times report citing anonymous U.S. officials who floated returning nuclear weapons to Ukraine as part of discussions on deterring a third Russian invasion after an eventual negotiated ceasefire.
Ukraine once inherited the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal, including approximately 1,900 strategic warheads, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Kyiv agreed to relinquish these weapons in exchange for security assurances from the U.S., U.K., and Russia.
"Under the current circumstances, all parties need to remain calm and exercise restraint," Mao said. "Joint efforts are needed to cool down the situation through dialogue and consultation to reduce strategic risks."
Newsweek reached out to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department with written requests for comment.
China has sought to position itself as a neutral player in the Ukraine conflict, now in its 33rd month. However, the country has consistently avoided labeling Russia's 2022 invasion as such and has provided Moscow with substantial economic and diplomatic support.
Trade with its northern neighbor and purchases of Russian oil and gas have soared. Meanwhile, Beijing has amplified the Kremlin's narratives while censoring anti-war criticism of Vladimir Putin on Chinese social media platforms.
China has also deepened military cooperation and diplomatic ties with the Kremlin, framing the relationship as a counterweight to U.S.-led global dominance.
The Biden administration's recent decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike targets within Russian territory has reignited fears of escalation.
However, analysts have argued that the risk of a nuclear response from Russia is overstated.
"The question of escalation risk persistently lingers over this discussion. Unhelpfully, this has become stuck in a debate over whether any such weapon employment would lead to a nuclear response, which it certainly will not," Jack Watling, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), wrote in a commentary last week.
Watling stressed Russia has already escalated the conflict in various ways, including by deploying thousands of allied North Korean troops to the Russian front lines.
President-elect Donald Trump, who has criticized the Biden administration's open-ended military and financial support for Kyiv, has claimed he will bring a swift conclusion to the war through high-level negotiations.
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