Vladimir Zelensky has accused Beijing of secretly supplying arms to Russia
China has refuted Ukraine’s claim that it is secretly providing weapons to Russia, calling it a baseless and politically motivated accusation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on Friday that China has not provided lethal weapons to any party involved in the conflict in Ukraine and maintains strict control over its exports of dual-use goods.
According to the spokesperson, China advocates for a “ceasefire and peace talks” between Ukraine and Russia.
These statements follow allegations made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Thursday, who claimed to have received “important, not so pleasant information” indicating that “China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation.”
“As of today, we have general information from the Security Service [of Ukraine], from the intelligence services about gunpowder [and] artillery,” he stated.
Zelensky further accused China of manufacturing certain weapons within Russia, promising to provide further details at a later time.
Last week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned China’s chargé d’affaires after Zelensky reported that Ukrainian forces had captured two Chinese nationals allegedly serving in the Russian military. He also claimed that “significantly more” Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia.
In a post on X, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga wrote that this development “puts into question China’s declared stance for peace.”
Last Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian dismissed Ukraine’s allegations as “groundless,” reiterating that China consistently advises its citizens against participating in foreign armed conflicts in any capacity.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, speaking the following day, insisted that “China has always maintained a very balanced position, so Zelensky is wrong.”
China has denied accusations from the United States that its trade with Russia is contributing to Moscow’s military production, asserting that, unlike Western nations, it remains neutral in the conflict.
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