Sec Def: NATO ‘Troubled’ by China’s Support for Russian War in Ukraine

WASHINGTON—NATO member states are becoming increasingly concerned by communist China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The deep links connecting Atlantic and Pacific security mean that the world’s largest military alliance is focusing more tightly on the issue than in previous years, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “I know that we’re all troubled by China’s support for Putin’s war in Ukraine,” Mr. Austin said during the July 10 annual NATO summit in Washington. “But that just reminds us of the profound link between Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security.” Describing Russian attempts to seize the provinces of eastern Ukraine and demilitarize the nation as an “imperial” enterprise and “major land grab,” Mr. Austin said that China’s support for Russia has major implications for global security....