US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has condemned North Korea, Iran and China for their cooperation with Russia during the ongoing war in Ukraine, stressing that such actions are damaging to their international reputations. “It is not exactly good for your reputation to work closely with Russia and help it continue its war in Ukraine,” Blinken noted during a forum hosted by the Aspen Strategy Group on July 19.

The U.S. has consistently raised concerns about North Korea’s growing military coordination with Russia, as well as China’s perceived support for Russia’s defense industrial base. During a fireside chat moderated by the NPR host, Blinken was asked about the effectiveness of sanctions imposed on Russia and whether they have affected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behavior.

Blinken argued that the collective pressure from the US and other countries has had a significant impact on Russia, explaining: “It means that everything that so many countries around the world can do easily is much harder for them to do. Everything that we can do cheaply is much more expensive for them to do. And this has a growing, powerful pressure on the Russian economy and on Russia’s future.”

Blinken noted that a combination of sanctions, export controls and brain drain are increasingly having a severe impact on Russia. “But Russia has found solutions, particularly through its relationships with North Korea, Iran and unfortunately China, that have allowed them to maintain their defense industrial base and continue their aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

On China, Blinken pointed out that unlike North Korea and Iran, Beijing does not supply weapons to Moscow but does contribute significantly to Russia’s defense industrial base. “Seventy percent of the machine tools that Russia imports come from China. Ninety percent of the microelectronics come from China,” Blinken explained, noting that these components are critical to the production of missiles, tanks and other weapons.

Blinken went on to note that the US and other countries have sanctioned Chinese companies and criticized Beijing for its contradictory stance. “China cannot do two things at once. It cannot claim to support peace in Ukraine while fueling Russia’s war efforts. Nor can it seek better relations with Europe while posing the greatest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War,” Blinken concluded.

(With input from agencies.)