KYIV — As Ukraine continues to interrogate two Chinese language residents that its forces captured within the Donetsk area earlier this week, Kyiv stated it has recognized much more Chinese language males preventing for Russia.
“As of now, we’ve exact information on over 150 Chinese language residents who have been concerned within the struggle in opposition to Ukraine by Russia. We all know that the precise quantity is greater,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in an announcement.
“Ukraine believes that such blatant involvement of Chinese language residents in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine in the course of the struggle of aggression is a deliberate step in direction of the growth of the struggle and is one more indication that Moscow merely wants to tug out the preventing,” Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy earlier claimed that the primary seize of Chinese language residents preventing alongside Russian troops was proof of one other nation, China, supporting Moscow militarily in its struggle in opposition to Ukraine, after Iran and North Korea.
“However there’s a distinction. North Koreans have been preventing in opposition to us within the Kursk area, whereas the Chinese language have been preventing in opposition to us in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy advised reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. “Ukraine is a powerful nation, however we will’t struggle in opposition to a number of international locations alone.”
Zelenskyy’s assertion that many extra Chinese language residents are preventing for Russia in Ukraine prompted criticism from Beijing.
“Such declare has no foundation in information,” Lin Jian, spokesperson for China’s international ministry, stated at a briefing Wednesday.
“China’s place on the difficulty of the Ukraine disaster could be very clear and is well known by the worldwide group,” he stated. “The Ukrainian facet must view China’s effort and constructive function for the political settlement of the Ukraine disaster.”
“After all it doesn’t imply the Chinese language military is concerned,” EU Excessive Consultant Kaja Kallas stated. “What is evident is that China is a key enabler of Russia’s struggle. With out Chinese language assist Russia wouldn’t be capable of wage struggle within the quantity that they’re waging this struggle. We see that 80 % of the dual-use items are coming into Russia by way of China,” Kallas stated at a press convention on Wednesday.
“If China would wish to actually cease the assist it might have an effect,” Kallas added.
Beijing “is verifying the knowledge with the Ukrainian facet” concerning the two Chinese language prisoners of struggle, the Chinese language international ministry’s Lin stated.
“Let me stress that the Chinese language authorities at all times asks Chinese language nationals to keep away from areas of armed battle, keep away from any type of involvement in armed battle, and particularly keep away from participation in any social gathering’s army operations,” Lin added.