The Ukrainian leader accuses China of arming Russia in violation of a wartime pledge.
Ukraine has imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of supplying weapons to Russia and taking part in joint weapons production on Russian soil.
The sanctions were announced on April 18 and target Beijing Aviation and Aerospace Xianghui Technology Co. Ltd., Rui Jin Machinery Co. Ltd., and Zhongfu Shenying Carbon Fiber Xining Co. Ltd. All three companies are registered in China. The order, enacted by presidential decree, freezes their assets in Ukraine and bars them from conducting business in the country. Officials did not provide details on why the companies were sanctioned.
The announcement came one day after Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence had confirmed that Chinese entities were providing artillery and gunpowder to Russian forces. He said that some Chinese personnel were directly involved in weapons manufacturing inside Russia.
“We have received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said during an April 17 press conference, according to a translation of his remarks.
“In any case, we have facts about this work of China and Russia to strengthen their defense capabilities.”
Zelenskyy said he previously asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to commit to not arming Russia. Zelenskyy said that Xi had previously pledged not to supply weapons to Russia, but Ukraine has since obtained intelligence indicating that commitment was not upheld.
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The Ukrainian president said he expects to release more specific documentation in the coming days and accused Beijing of crossing a line from passive neutrality into active military cooperation.
“It’s one thing when products appear on global arms markets,“ Zelenskyy said. ”It’s another when there’s direct collaboration. We’ve seen that collaboration.”
Beijing has since denied the allegations. On April 18, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian dismissed the claims as “groundless accusations and political manipulation.”
The tensions follow another claim by Zelenskyy earlier this month that Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in the Donetsk region. He said the prisoners had military documentation and that intelligence officials believed there were likely more Chinese citizens embedded within Russian units. Zelenskyy said he instructed Ukraine’s foreign minister to urgently contact Beijing for clarification on the matter.
“Russia’s involvement of China—whether directly or indirectly—in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war,” he said at the time.
Owen Evans and Reuters contributed to this report.
