“If we finally confirm there is a transfer of drones [from China to Russia], then that will have consequences,” added the official, who declined to spell out what those consequences could be.
The comments, which come more than a month after Reuters first reported on the drone factory, hint at a hardening stance toward China in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election as U.S. president.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský urged fellow EU countries to rally behind Trump’s policy toward China.
Difficult to believe
Chinese drone production is due to top the agenda when European foreign ministers gather in Brussels next week, said three diplomats, also granted anonymity to speak on the sensitive matter.
“We’ll obviously have to look very closely to see if China is moving away from its position of neutrality on the Ukraine conflict, which it has held publicly until now,” said one EU diplomat.
Beijing maintains that it is “not a party” to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
