Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, April 9th, said Russia was “dragging” China into the war in Ukraine, as he accused Beijing of knowing that dozens of its citizens were being recruited by Moscow’s army to fight.
Kyiv had details of more than 150 Chinese nationals who had deployed to the front, Zelensky said, a day after claiming Ukraine’s army had captured two Chinese citizens fighting in the eastern Donetsk region.
Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to release the captured Chinese citizens in exchange for Ukrainian POWs held in Russia.
“Such an overt involvement of Chinese citizens in combat operations on the territory of Ukraine is a deliberate step towards expanding the war,” Zelensky said. “This is yet another indication that Moscow simply needs to drag out the fighting.”
The fresh criticism of both Russia and China came hours after Beijing rejected the idea that its citizens had been recruited in big numbers to fight with Russia, and warned Chinese nationals to “avoid involvement in armed conflicts.”
