Ma Shengkun met with Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis.
Perebyinis stressed that “the participation of Chinese nationals in combat operations against Ukraine on the side of the aggressor state, as well as the involvement of Chinese companies in manufacturing military products in Russia, is deeply concerning and contradicts the spirit of partnership between Ukraine and China.”
Ukrainian intelligence services have reportedly shared evidence of these facts with the Chinese side.
“In this regard, Perebyinis called on China to take measures to cease any support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine — support that Beijing has repeatedly claimed does not exist,” the Ministry wrote.
The Ukrainian official also stressed that Ukraine values its strategic partnership with China and expects Beijing to refrain from any actions that could harm bilateral relations.
On April 17, during a press conference, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and military intelligence obtained evidence that China was supplying Russia with gunpowder and artillery, and was even involved in weapons production on Russian territory. He said further details will be disclosed the following week.
On April 10, following Ukraine’s capture of two Chinese citizens, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian claimed that China was not involved in combat and advocated a peaceful resolution to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
China’s Foreign Ministry later labeled Zelenskyy’s statements as “groundless,” stating that China “has never provided lethal weapons to any side of the war in Ukraine.”