Ukraine war briefing: China arming Russia and building weapons on its soil, says Zelenskyy
www.theguardian.com
Fri, 18 Apr 2025 03:36:12 +0300
Just as much Russian bombing under energy ceasefire, says Ukrainian president.
What we know on day 1,150China is supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery, and Chinese representatives are involved in weapons production on Russian territory, Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Thursday, citing reporting by Ukrainian security and intelligence agencies.
We are ready to speak in detail about this, Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine expects to share documentation to support the claims next week.Zelenskyy said We have finally received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation.
We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on Russian territory We see the cooperation between these two countries in this area, and we must acknowledge it is happening.
The Associated Press could not confirm Zelenskyys statement.
At the time of writing there was no response from China to the latest claims, but Beijing has consistently denied arming Russia against Ukraine.Zelenskyy said Russia had reduced the number of strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities but stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure instead.
Zelenskyy told a press conference in Kyiv that in total, Russia was launching the same number of missiles and drones at Ukraine as before.
They reduced their strikes on energy.
Thats a fact.
But I wanted us to pay attention to this Russia did not reduce the number of strikes, that was the strategy by reducing strikes on energy, they are hitting other civilian infrastructure.Russias UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, on Thursday accused Ukraine at the security council of ignoring the energy ceasefire.
In a joint statement after the council met, Slovenia, Denmark, France, Greece, and Britain urged Russia to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire.
Slovenias UN ambassador, Samuel Zbogar, said Ukraine wants peace, and has demonstrated this by agreeing to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire five weeks ago.
At the consultations today, Russia again rejected the comprehensive ceasefire and refused to make its first step towards peace.Ukraines economy minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said on Thursday that Kyiv had signed a memorandum of intent with Washington on a planned investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Donald Trump, the US president, said they would sign a minerals deal next Thursday.
The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, told AFP that a deal was targeted for 26 April.Top negotiators from the E3 grouping of Britain, France and Germany are scheduled to meet again in London next week with US counterparts after Donald Trumps envoys finally met with European foreign ministers over ceasefire efforts.
Whats new is that the United States, Ukraine and the Europeans met around the same table, said the French foreign minister, JeanNoel Barrot, after Paris on Thursday hosted German, British and US foreign ministers, and Trumps friend Steve Witkoff, as well as a Ukrainian delegation.The E3 are around the table and were doing it with a European ambition, said a senior adviser to Frances president, Emmanuel Macron, after the talks at the lyse Palace on Thursday.
Whats important is that we have started a process in Paris today that is positive and where the Europeans are associated.
Marco Rubio, Trumps secretary of state, spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, said the US state department.
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