Lawmakers Press Jake Sullivan to Disclose Whether Russia Shares US Weapons Intel With CCP

Chinese leader Xi Jinping embraces Russian President Vladimir Putin after their talks in Beijing, on May 16, 2024. (Mikhail Metzel/AFP via Getty Images)

Bipartisan lawmakers of a House committee have requested an assessment from the federal government to determine if Russia has shared information about the capabilities of U.S. weapons used in Ukraine with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In a letter dated July 15 to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the chair and ranking member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, raised concerns about Russia’s ability to undermine and disrupt advanced U.S. precision weapon systems deployed in Ukraine and share this information with Beijing.

“We should not expect that foreign adversaries, such as the PRC [People’s Republic of China], ‘are supporting Russia for free,’” the lawmakers wrote. “Rather, we should anticipate and indeed operate under the assumption that Russia is passing information about vulnerabilities or counters to American and allied weapons systems to the PRC in support of its ‘no limits’ partnership.”

The lawmakers cited media and think tank reports on the “alarming levels of Russian adaptation that have undermined the effectiveness of several U.S. weapons systems.”

The reports raise “important questions about the U.S. military and industrial base’s ability to ‘counter-innovate’ to overcome or adapt to these Russian tactics and their potential proliferation to other adversaries in other theaters,” the letter reads.

‘Russian Battlefield Innovation Is Likely to Proliferate China’

The committee leaders asked Mr. Sullivan to assess “Russia’s ability to mitigate or counter U.S. weapons systems in Ukraine,” and the degree of “lessons learned” from battlefield innovation of U.S. weapons systems Moscow shared with Beijing.

The lawmakers are also seeking information about the Chinese military’s efforts to apply these lessons or mirror Russian military innovations.

The letter requested Mr. Sullivan to provide the committee with the White House’s plans “to ensure the future effectiveness of American weapons systems against both Russia and the PRC.”

“We must be clear-eyed that Russian battlefield innovation is likely to proliferate to the PRC and other adversaries—and adapt ourselves accordingly,” the lawmakers noted.

The CCP has actively supported Moscow since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the Kremlin faced multiple sanctions from the West.

The lawmakers said Beijing “has provided Russia with significant amounts of microelectronics, dual-use equipment, imagery, and other tools to support its war machine, in addition to helping improve satellite and other space-based capabilities.”

In April, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized China for supporting Russia’s defense industry. He said Beijing was the main contributor, providing Moscow with resources that “have helped Russia rebuild its defense industrial base that sanctions and export controls had done so much to degrade.”

Last week, NATO condemned the CCP during the alliance summit in Washington, calling the regime a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

NATO also called on Beijing to stop its support of Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, including “the transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment, and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia’s defense sector.”

“The PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” NATO’s Washington Summit Declaration states.

The United States is Ukraine’s biggest supporter and has provided more than $50 billion in military aid since 2022, when the Russian invasion began. Congress has approved $175 billion of aid for Ukraine.

On July 11, Washington announced a new security package for Ukraine worth $225 million, which includes a Patriot missile battery and additional ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems and missiles.

Last month, Washington announced sanctions against more than 300 entities from multiple countries including China for allegedly supporting Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

The White House National Security Council didn’t respond by publication time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.