This content was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, made stories on April 8 by claiming that Russian forces had taken two Chinese citizens who were reportedly fighting with the Russian Army.
Are the two Chinese nationals who were apprehended, however, evidence that Beijing is sending troops to Ukraine to combat Russia? No, in a nutshell.
Foreign citizens fighting in Ukraine are no recent, and Beijing has not yet provided any proof that the two men who were captured were sent there.
There have been reports on Russian military parties on Telegram about Chinese people who have been killed fighting alongside Russian forces, as well as a couple hundred Foreign citizens who are thought to had traveled to struggle as soldiers with Russia’s army.
Chinese soldiers were also seen serving alongside Soviet troops in a Russian Defense Ministry hospital database that was obtained solely by RFE/RL in February.
The exit Zelenskyy’s feedback level from the carefully balanced political wire Kyiv had been walking with China since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022 is the more significant development that this event represents for the Ukrainian conflict.
Beijing has remained Moscow’s most important partner throughout the conflict and has increased Russia’s arsenal with increased trade and a steady flow of physically important civil goods. China has, nevertheless, stopped offering Russia neither arms nor military training.
With a few exceptions, Kyiv has largely avoided criticizing China as this has emerged because Ukraine has had a chance to possibly win over Taiwanese cooperation in a upcoming peace agreement.
What Is the New Approach to China that Zelenskyy has?
What has then changed for Zelenskyy? His marriage with Washington and the lingering concerns about éventuel US military support for Kyiv are the most obvious.
His remarks following the release of the two soldiers who were captured even demonstrate how a more explicit link between China and the war may alter his relationship with US President Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy claimed that the presence of Chinese immigrants alongside Russian forces “is a obvious indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to do anything but end the war” in his social media post on April 8 that included a picture of a captured man describing a drone strike in Chinese. He is looking for ways to keep fighting.
Later that evening, the Russian president continued by making the claim that the two fighters were proof that Moscow had global support for them on the battlefield.
” This is yet another land that physically supports Russia’s support for its support of Ukraine.” He added,” This is another one after Iran and the North Korean military.”
Ukraine’s Contribution To The US-China Power Struggle
Beijing has vehemently opposed having its own soldiers stationed in Ukraine. On April 9, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that it is now checking the details regarding the two Ukrainian citizens and that it has consistently instructed its citizens to abstain from participating in military procedures.
However, Zelenskyy appears to be attempting to lump China with Iran, which has given Moscow drones to bombard Ukrainian infrastructure, and North Korea, which has deployed thousands of troops to combat with Russia.
He went on to say that Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister of Ukraine, had been given the task of calling Beijing and summoning China’s charge of affairs at its Kyiv embassy.
According to Sybiha, Sybiha posted a statement on social media stating that” Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine calls into question China’s declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing’s standing as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council.”
China is still in the president’s crosshairs, and Trump and senior US officials have suggested that in exchange for ending the war, Beijing and a reset with Moscow might be advantageous. However, Beijing may come at the expense of supporting Ukraine.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in a , a leaked internal Pentagon memo, that a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan should be the top priority, and that doing so will require the Pentagon to “assume risk in other theaters” given personnel and resource constraints.
It then calls on allies in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to put forth more defense spending to help the United States avoid dispelling other US allies like Iran, North Korea, and Russia so that it can devote more resources to China.
Zelenskyy appears to be looking for his own China card to play as the future of Ukraine’s relations with the United States is uncertain as a result of Trump’s efforts to reach a peace deal as it enters its fourth year.
