Ukraine’s Zelensky says 2 Chinese men were caught fighting for Russia

KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military has captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region and has information that “significantly more” are with Russian forces, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Tuesday.

There was no immediate comment from China. Beijing is not known to have provided Russia with weapons or military expertise, and it was not clear whether the Chinese had joined the fight on their own initiative. Russia allows foreigners to enlist in its military, as does Ukraine.

Zelensky said he asked his top diplomat “to immediately contact Beijing.” He said China would be the third country to offer military support to Russia after Iran, which has supplied attack drones, and North Korea, which has supplied soldiers, according to American and South Korean officials.

China has provided strong diplomatic support for Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. Beijing has also offered an economic lifeline through the trade in energy and consumer goods.

Zelensky said a clash with Chinese soldiers occurred near the villages of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka in Donetsk, where six Chinese military personnel engaged Ukrainian troops. Two Chinese were taken prisoner, Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said his ministry summoned China’s charge d’affaires to demand an explanation, saying on X that “Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China’s declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing’s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.”

Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting in Ukraine, and both sides are believed to be readying a spring-summer campaign on the battlefield.

“I cannot see any indications that would lead to a ceasefire or even a peace, but I see many indications [for] the continuation of the war,” Nico Lange, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, said

Zelensky spoke at a news conference in Kyiv alongside visiting Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who announced a $1 billion aid package for Ukraine this year. Ukraine’s president said they discussed joint military manufacturing efforts and Belgian private investment in Ukraine’s defense sector.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian Foreign Ministry officials will take part in talks with the U.S. in Istanbul planned for Thursday.

He didn’t say what the talks would be about, but the Foreign Ministry’s involvement suggests it is another round of talks about normalizing their respective embassies’ operations and increasing staff numbers after years of expelling each other’s diplomats.

Stepanenko writes for the Associated Press.