Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that China is moving to “intensify cooperation” with Russia, particularly in the military-industrial sphere, amid deepening ties between the strategic partners since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
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”.
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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.
‘Coalition of willing’ to meet
Zelenskyy’s warning came as he said Ukrainian officials were expected to hand US negotiators their latest proposals to end the war shortly, amid US President Donald Trump’s push for a settlement.
Zelenskyy is due to discuss the status of those negotiations in a video call on Thursday with the leaders of about 30 of Ukraine’s allies, members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” led by France and the United Kingdom. The French presidency confirmed on Wednesday that the call would take place.
Ukraine’s European allies are backing Zelenskyy’s effort to ensure that any deal to end the war is fair and deters future Russian aggression in Europe, amid concerns that Trump’s push for a swift settlement will result in an outcome heavily weighted in the Kremlin’s favour.
Responding to comments from Trump that suggested the Ukrainian president was using the war as an excuse not to hold an election, Zelenskyy also said the country would be ready to hold a vote within three months if its partners guaranteed security during wartime, and provided its electoral law could be altered.
“To hold elections, two issues must be addressed: primarily, security – how to conduct them, how to do it under strikes, under missile attacks; and a question regarding our military – how they would vote,” Zelenskyy said.
“The second issue is the legislative framework required to ensure the legitimacy of elections,” he said, referring to the fact that elections cannot be held during times of martial law.
Hospital shelled in Russian-held Kherson
Meanwhile, as efforts continued to reach a settlement in the war, hostilities continued to play out on the battlefield.
In a Russia-controlled part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, three people were killed and two wounded by Ukrainian shelling of a hospital, a Russia-installed governor, Vladimir Saldo, said on Telegram.
He said all the victims worked at the facility, and one of the injured was in intensive care.
Elsewhere, Russian drones hit the gas transport system in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk said, while heavy fighting was continuing to rage in Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donbas region, where Ukraine’s military said it was fending off a Russian mechanised assault.
