China has flatly denied Ukraine's allegations that it is supplying military equipment and materials to support Russia's ongoing war effort, rejecting claims of involvement in Moscow's arms industry as "groundless accusations and political manipulation."
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: "China has never provided lethal weapons to any party in the conflict and strictly controls dual-use items." She added, "The Ukrainian side is well aware of this."
The denial follows claims by Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service, who told state news agency Ukrinform that Kyiv possesses "confirmed data on 20 Russian factories" receiving materials from China. "There is information that China supplies tooling machines, special chemical products, gunpowder, and components specifically to defence manufacturing industries," Ivashchenko said.
Ivashchenko also stated that Ukrainian intelligence had recorded six instances of large chemical shipments and at least five documented cases of cooperation in the aviation sector, including transfers of equipment, spare parts, and technical documentation. "As of early 2025, 80 percent of critical electronic components found in Russian drones originated in China," he added, alleging use of deceptive product names and shell companies to bypass controls.
The claims from Kyiv follow months of growing frustration from Western governments, who have urged Beijing to refrain from supporting Russia's military operations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated last month that China was helping Russia produce drones and accused more than 150 Chinese nationals of fighting for Moscow.
Beijing, which has increased trade and energy ties with Russia since the 2022 invasion, has consistently portrayed itself as neutral in the conflict. Nevertheless, Ukraine has imposed sanctions on three Chinese entities it claims are tied to the Russian war effort.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the matter via Truth Social, writing: "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers."
Trump continued: "Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it... but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!"
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 298 drones and 69 missiles on Sunday, claiming to have downed 266 drones and 45 missiles. Ukraine said the attack marked the largest number of weapons fired in a single night during the conflict, although the figures could not be independently verified.
