Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to the recruitment of Chinese nationals to fight for Russia, adding he believed the US was “very surprised” by the revelation. The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv has obtained passport details of at least 155 fighters from China in the war. While Zelenskyy said Beijing knew its citizens were there, he didn’t believe the country had given “some kind of command” they join the fight.
Zelenskyy added he believes Russia is using social media, including TikTok, to recruit. He said he was prepared to exchange captured Chinese soldiers with Ukrainian servicemen in detention.
China called those claims “groundless”, saying they are contrary to an effort to find a political solution to the ongoing war. “The Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens to stay away from conflict zones,” a spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry said. Russia has not commented on the existence of Chinese nationals joining its side.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs at least 10 Patriot missile systems to intercept Russian ballistic weapons, just days before a summit at the Ramstein airbase in Germany. “We have repeatedly raised this issue with the American side and with everyone in Europe who is in a position to help. We are counting on decisions,” he wrote on X.
Russian drones attacked Kyiv early Thursday. Local officials said one person was trapped in a destroyed house and a downed drone started a fire in a storage area of the city.
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers sharply criticised reports the Trump administration is looking to reduce the number of American troops in Europe. The US has maintained a force of about 100,000 in Europe in recent years, an increase of 20,000 since Russia invaded Ukraine.
A Russian family who fled to the US after protesting against the war are asking to leave on their own terms after working their way through the labyrinthine immigration process, only to get ensnared by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “I left home so that I wouldn’t be afraid to be put into prison again,” a member of the family said. “When I came here, I thought, worst case they can refuse us asylum. But I didn’t expect that something like this could happen. Not again.”
