An American official said that Russia asked China to use military equipment in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that increased tensions over the ongoing war before a Monday meeting in Rome between senior aides of the US and Chinese governments.

Before the talks, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explicitly warned China against helping Russia evade global sanctions that have hurt the Russian economy. He said, "We will not allow that to go forward." China, in turn, accused the United States on Monday of spreading "disinformation."

The possibility of China offering financial assistance to Russia is one of President Joe Biden's concerns. An American official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that Russia recently requested support from China, including military equipment, to advance its ongoing war with Ukraine. The official did not specify the scope of the request. The request was first reported by the Financial Times and the Washington Post.

Additionally, the Biden administration accuses China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons