Ukraine’s complaint This large number of Chinese nationals are fighting for the pervasive army of Russia is “completely unfounded,” said Beijing official on Wednesday as the We strive to get a ceasefire in the more than three years of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that the Ukrainian army had captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army on Ukrainian soil and had information that “much more” is with Russian forces.
It was the first time that Ukraine has made such a statement on Chinese fighters during the war.
In this photo provided by the 65th Ukraine mechanized brigade press service, Ukrainian soldiers are preparing to fire a multiple launching rocket system based on a van in the Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine region, Tuesday April 8, 2025 (Andriy Andriyenko / Ukraine of the 65th mechanized brigade via AP)
China has provided a strong diplomatic support For Russia since Moscow launched its large -scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. Beijing also offered an economic rescue buoy by the energy trade and consumer goods, but it is not supposed to have knowingly provided Russia with troops, weapons or military expertise.
US officials accused Iran to provide drones in Russia, while American and South Korean officials say North Korea sent thousands of soldiers and ammunition to help Russia on the battlefield.
The United States and Europe having provided substantial military support and diplomatic weight for Ukraine, war is to a certain extent a competition between power blocks.
Tensions between the United States and China have deepened in recent years. Disputes have focused on geopolitical influence, technology and trade – and recently Improvement of import prices Between countries, the global financial markets have disrupted.
President Donald Trump is trying to continue a campaign promise last year End the war quickly in Ukraine.
The spokesman for the American State Department, Tammy Bruce, said on Tuesday in a briefing in Washington that reports from Chinese citizens fighting on behalf of Russia were “disturbing”.
“China is an important catalyst for Russia in the war in Ukraine,” said Bruce. China provides almost 80% of the double use articles that Russia needs to maintain war, she said.
The Kremlin actually rejected a US proposal For an immediate and complete 30 -day stop in the fighting in Ukraine. The Kyiv government has agreed. The two parties are believed to prepare military campaigns from spring-summer.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told Beijing that China had played a “constructive role in the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis”.
Lin told a daily briefing on Wednesday that “the Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens to stay away from conflict zones, to avoid getting involved in any form of armed conflict, and above all abstain from participating in military operations of any party.”
His comments seemed to indicate that the captured Chinese had joined the ranks of Russia on their own initiative. Russia and Ukraine allow foreign soldiers to enlist.
China has already highlighted a wave peacetop This was quickly rejected by most observers.
Meanwhile, the two countries have continued to fight against an attrition war along the front line of around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and targeted each other with long-range strikes.
The city of Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk suffered a “massive drone attack” overnight, said regional director Vadym Filashkin, injuring an 11-year-old girl, her mother and grandmother.
The Air Force of Ukraine said that Russia had launched 55 Shahed and Lure Dones in the country during the night.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the air defenses had dropped 158 Ukrainian drones in 11 Russian regions overnight, but have not pointed out any victim or damage.
However, several Russian regions have temporarily suspended thefts in their airports due to the attack, and some Ukrainian drones have reached the Orenburg region in Russia in the south of Urals located nearly 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) east of the Ukrainian border, said the Ministry of Defense.
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Christopher Bodeen contributed from Taipei, Taiwan.
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Follow the coverage of war by the AP in Ukraine in https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
