Zelenskyy accuses China of arming Russia, vows to present proof soon

By Olesia Safronova and Daryna Krasnolutska

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of supplying weapons to Russia in its war against his country, saying he would present detailed evidence next week. 

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s intelligence services had information that Beijing had supplied gunpowder and artillery ammunition to Moscow. He also said that China is involved in the production of some weapons on Russian territory.

 

“We already have facts about this work of China and Russia,” the Ukrainian president said. “And these are bad facts.”

 

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement on Thursday night that China “has not —and will not—provide weapons to any party involved in the conflict. This position has been consistent and clear.”

 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. 

 

Zelenskyy has sought to raise scrutiny of Beijing’s support for Russia as he seeks to persuade the reluctant administration of US President Donald Trump to continue providing military support to Kyiv. The Ukrainian leader’s staunch criticism of China comes as Trump takes an increasingly tough stance toward Beijing.

 

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday that she wouldn’t confirm specifics. But she said “it’s clear that Beijing and China-based companies provide key economic and technical support to regimes like Russia, North Korea and Iran and its proxies,” including “dual-use items Russia needs to sustain its war in Ukraine.”

 

Trump has expressed frustration at the pace of negotiations with Moscow, which has yet to agree to any ceasefire, but has also blamed Zelenskyy for the continuation of Russia’s war.

 

Following the capture of two Chinese nationals in Ukraine’s east, Zelenskyy said last week that Kyiv’s intelligence services had identified at least 155 Chinese nationals fighting alongside Moscow’s troops, a number he later increased to “several hundred.” 

 

Zelenskyy said the Chinese government is aware of Moscow’s recruitment efforts among its citizens, an accusation China denies.

 

Furthermore, Chinese and Russian companies are jointly developing an attack drone similar to an Iranian model deployed in Ukraine, European officials familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News last year, a sign that Beijing may have been edging closer to directly providing Moscow with lethal aid despite the warnings of western officials.

 

Zelenskyy said he had directly asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether his country was arming Russia. “He gave me his word that weapons would not be sold and sent to Russia,” the Ukrainian president said. “But we see other information.”