For two and a half weeks, the American response to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has followed a script.

It was written before the start of the invasion expected by Washington: a sanctions regime broadly agreed with the allies, which was gradually tightened, and the military strengthening of NATO's eastern flank.

But now President Joe Biden has slowly come to the end of the instructions.

He uses other means.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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The meeting of his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivans with Yang Jiechi, China's top foreign policy official, this Monday in Rome is part of the expansion of the sphere of action.

Before meeting Chinese Communist Party foreign policy leaders, Sullivan made it clear that Washington is closely monitoring whether Beijing is providing supplies or economic support to Russia to mitigate the effects of Western sanctions.

Build a bridge to China

The government in Beijing was told "that we will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for the losses resulting from the economic sanctions".

He made no public threats, but warned that there will be consequences for large-scale efforts to circumvent sanctions.

The background is intelligence findings that Moscow asked Beijing for armaments and economic aid after it attacked Ukraine.

Washington is currently trying to manage the consequences of the turning point that Vladimir Putin's war represents for international politics.

The Biden government is sending a double message to Beijing.

Sullivan's clear statement has a subtext: CIA director William Burns said in Washington recently that President Xi Jinping was "concerned" about Putin's actions.

One can also view Sullivan's conversation with Yang as an attempt to build a bridge to China.

If Beijing wants to save its reputation in the West, it must use its influence to stop Putin.

Washington has no illusions: short-term successes are not expected.

China is – also with regard to Russia – the “long game” for America, so to speak, the perseverance and patience game of foreign and security policy.

That Biden's government has come to the end of its script reveals a certain dilemma.

In the first phase, the President had successfully organized the resistance of the West.

The “free world” stands firmly against Russia, he said on Friday after announcing the latest round of sanctions by which the United States and its allies stripped Russia of its “most favored nation” status, paving the way for tariff hikes and further trade restrictions .

Compared to the previous sectoral sanctions, this step was of course more of a symbolic nature for Washington.

What would be the "sensitive price"?

So what's left for the American government if, in view of the military difficulties in Ukraine and the pressure of economic sanctions, Putin decides to escalate, as the intelligence services are already warning?

Russia would pay a "heavy price" if it used chemical weapons in Ukraine, the president said.

According to the unanimous assessment of the US and Ukrainian governments, Russia is currently paving the way for either using weapons of mass destruction itself or faking an attack by Ukraine by spreading false information that Kyiv is developing chemical or biological weapons with American help.