SYDNEY - Australia's foreign minister said he had raised the issue of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with his Chinese counterpart, telling reporters after the meeting that all countries wanted China to "do the right thing" and not supply arms to Russia.

Washington and its allies have claimed in recent weeks that China is considering arms sales to Russia, which Beijing denies.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said he had raised questions about Russia's conduct when meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in New Delhi.

Wong told reporters that responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine "lies with Russia," but the world expects China to exercise responsible leadership in Ukraine given its close ties with Moscow.

“I would like to point out that (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) himself said that he wanted to believe that China would do the right thing and not supply arms to Russia. "And it's not just a call for Australia; it's for all countries," he said.

The United States is studying its close allies over the possibility of imposing new sanctions on China if Beijing militarily supports Russia in the war, Reuters reported Thursday, citing four US heads of state and other sources.

A senior Chinese diplomat in Australia published an article in local media on Wednesday, saying that NATO was at the root of the conflict and that while Russia was "surrounded by Western countries," it was not broken by sanctions or defeats on the battlefield.

"It is worrying that the crisis has now turned into a confrontation between NATO and Russia," wrote Ruan Zongze, the Chinese consul general in Brisbane, adding that China will help Russia resolve the issue through negotiations.