stare down between the u.s. and china and the outcome could have huge ramifications for russia s war in ukraine. u.s. officials are saying beijing is considering arming vladimir putin s forces with drones and ammunition and it s a move the biden administration thinks would prolong the war and up the death toll significantly. the cia says there is no evidence that china has yet sent any of this lethal equipment, but the white house promises major consequences if it does. beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance, but if it goes down that road it will come at real cost to china and i think china s leaders are weighing that as they make their decisions. now, this warning is coming just weeks after a suspected chinese spy balloon traversed the united states, leaving the relationship between these two super powers in tatters. cnn s phil mattingly is at the white house for us. does the white house see this as thei
doors. you know, the sub text here is that there is intent behind what is happening right now. the hope while they ve certainly picked up intelligence that shows discussions and negotiations about potential price, what the potential weapons may be in terms of ammunition, in terms of drones, definitely some sense the decision may be coming in the near term that making this public, trying to almost brush back chinese government leadership will have an effect, at least a desired effect to hold them off at least for the moment. but there is no question. when you talk to u.s. officials their real concern is how much this could prolong a conflict very much at a stalemate right now but one in which they see russia is having severe issues when it comes to the amount, the stockpiles they have for ammunition, a gap china could most certainly fill if they decided to go that route. it hasekos of how the administration dealt with the russian invasion of ukraine in the first place, trying to ver