EU says China trained Russian troops to fight in Ukraine war

LUXEMBOURG CITY – The European Union’s top diplomat said China has been training Russian troops to fight in Ukraine, sharpening Brussels’ criticism of Beijing’s enabling role in the conflict as the bloc weighs a tougher economic and security stance.

“We have also now verified reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine,” EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said on June 15 after a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

“We are carefully assessing the implications.”

Kallas did not name or elaborate on the reports.

Reuters reported in May that the Chinese military secretly trained about 200 Russian military personnel in China in late 2025 and some have since returned to fight in Ukraine.

The report, which cited European intelligence agencies and documents, said the covert training sessions focused on the use of drones and were outlined in an agreement signed by senior Russian and Chinese officers in Beijing last July.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately response to a request for comment.

China previously denied the Reuters report, calling it an attempt to shift the blame for the war.

Beijing has maintained its neutrality regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while simultaneously providing Moscow with a crucial economic lifeline.

Chinese companies have also supplied Russia with dual-use technologies, including drone parts, drawing sanctions from both the US and the EU.

On June 15, the EU added two manufacturers based in mainland China and two Hong Kong-based shipping firms to its sanctioned list. 

Shenzhen Minghuaxin and Xinxiang Richful Lubricant Additive Company were accused respectively of supplying drone components and chemical additives for mechanical lubricants to the Russian military.

Glory Shipping HK Limited and Nord Axis Ltd were sanctioned for enabling the shipment and export of Russian oil, according to an EU document listing the latest sanctions.

China’s support for Russia has strained its relations with the EU since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

China’s vast trade surplus has further weighed on ties, with Brussels considering new restrictive measures against Beijing to address the growing trade imbalance.

EU leaders are scheduled to convene on June 17 to discuss China’s industrial overcapacity.

The bloc’s trade chief, Maros Sefcovic, is expected to meet with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Brussels at the end of the month. BLOOMBERG