The Chinese foreign ministry on Friday called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s accusation that China supplied weapons to Russia “groundless.”
Despite maintaining close economic ties with Russia during Moscow’s three-year war in Ukraine, China has sought to project an image of neutrality and denies any involvement in the war.
Friday’s disclaimer followed Zelenskyy’s remarks at a press conference the previous day that China was supplying weapons and gunpowder to Russia, while also accusing it of producing weapons on Russian territory.
China Wants Ceasefire
China has never made lethal weapons available to any party to the Ukraine crisis, ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular news conference.
“China’s position on the Ukrainian issue has always been clear,” Lin said. “It has been actively committed to promoting a ceasefire and ending the conflict, as well as encouraging peace talks.”
China opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation, he said, adding that Ukraine had said publicly that most of the components in weapons imported by Russia came from the United States and other Western nations.
Zelenskyy’s Claim
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday accused China of supplying weapons and gunpowder to Russia—his first direct allegation of Beijing’s military support for Moscow.
The Ukrainian leader said at a press conference that his government also had intelligence that China was producing weapons on Russian territory and that he would be able to provide more details next week.
Zelenskyy Has Specific ‘Information’
“We finally have information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said in Kyiv, referring specifically to “artillery,” without specifying if he meant shells, artillery systems or both.
“We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on the territory of Russia,” Zelenskyy said, without elaborating.
Zelenskyy’s allegation comes as President Donald Trump is pressing for peace, having upended previous U.S. policy by directly engaging with Russia and at one point cutting military aid to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader said he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the war and asked him directly about the possibility of Beijing supplying arms to Russia.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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