The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, stated that there are signs that Russia has asked China to provide lethal assistance to wage a full-scale war in Ukraine.

 Stoltenberg's words during the presentation of NATO's annual report in Brussels on Tuesday were quoted by CNN.

 "We have not seen any evidence that China is supplying Russia with lethal weapons, but we have seen some signs that there was such a request from Russia, and that this issue is being considered by the Chinese authorities in Beijing," the NATO Secretary General said.

 He warned China against providing lethal aid to Russia, which, according to the Secretary General, would mean "supporting an illegal war."

 According to Stoltenberg, the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Russia and his meeting with Vladimir Putin indicate the rapprochement between Beijing and Moscow that has been taking place in recent years.

 "We see China and Russia getting closer in the military sphere - joint exercises, joint patrols at sea and in the air, in the economic sphere, as well as in the political and diplomatic sphere. So the meeting in Moscow is part of this trend in which China and Russia are working more and more closely and are building a stronger and stronger partnership," he said.

 The media previously reported that the US has intelligence that the Chinese government is considering supplying Russia with drones and ammunition for use in the war in Ukraine.

 The White House said that it made it clear to China behind closed doors that there would be serious consequences for it if it provided lethal aid to Russia.