Zelenskyy warns of growing Russia-China military ties
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that China is moving to "intensify cooperation" with Russia, particularly in the military-industrial sector, amid the growing ties between the two strategic partners since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In comments on social media on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said a report from the head of Kyiv’s foreign intelligence had noted the dependence of the Russian state on “Chinese investment, technologies, and political priorities”, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The Ukrainian leader said that Kyiv’s partner intelligence services had also noted the moves by Beijing and Moscow to ramp up their cooperation in the military-industrial sector, adding he had instructed Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service to monitor the cooperation “more substantively” for how it related to Ukraine’s and its Western allies’ interests.
“Global security must not be undermined because Russia’s appetite for aggression remains unabated,” he said.
The report also observed a growing trend of the “de-sovereignisation of parts of Russian territory” in Beijing’s favour – primarily through the use of resource-rich land, and the sale of precious resources to China, he said.
Despite pressure from the West, Beijing, Moscow’s key strategic partner, has drawn closer to Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
It has claimed neutrality in the conflict, maintaining a low profile amid international efforts to negotiate peace, despite calls for it to use its influence over Moscow – which relies heavily on China to blunt the impact of Western sanctions – to help bring an end to the conflict.
In September, the Chinese and Russian leaders outlined their vision of a new, multilateral international order at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, while last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to expand investment and deepen economic relations between the countries in a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, describing the enhanced ties as a “shared strategic choice”.
Xi highlighted industries including aerospace, energy, agriculture, and the digital economy as sectors where the countries could cooperate.
Similar news
