China agreed to secretly arm Russia, leaked Pentagon documents reveal

Xi Jinping visiting Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, during which the two leaders reaffirmed a ‘deepening of the Russian-Chinese partnership’. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

China approved the provision of lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine but wanted any shipments to remain a secret, according to leaked US government documents.

A top-secret intelligence summary dated 23 February states that Beijing had approved the incremental provision of weapons to Moscow, which it would disguise as civilian items, according to a report in the Washington Post.