Ukraine-Russia war: UK has no evidence of Beijing links to captured troops as Kyiv confronts China
North Korea has already sent troops to help Russian forces – now Zelensky is demanding an explanation from Beijing
UK defence intelligence officials have no evidence Chinese soldiers captured fighting for Putin have links to the Chinese government, it is understood.
Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged that Chinese soldiers have joined Russia’s war effort, two of whom have been taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces.
Kyiv’s forces engaged in battle with six Chinese troops in Donetsk, the Ukrainian president said, adding that Ukraine believes there are “many more Chinese citizens in the occupier's units than just these two”.
Kyiv demanded an explanation from Beijing, summoning China’s charge d'affaires as foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the development “undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council”.
But it is understood that UK officials have so far found nothing that links the captured troops to the Chinese government.
It comes months after North Korea first sent troops to assist Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Russia’s Kursk region, where Moscow’s forces have reclaimed large swathes of land from Ukraine.
Russian officials and state media claimed on Tuesday to be close to regaining full control of Kursk after purportedly pushing Ukraine from one of its few remaining footholds in the settlement of Guyevo – although Moscow has frequently made such assertions prematurely.
As Ukraine withdraws from Kursk, Mr Zelensky confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian troops were now operating in Russia’s neighbouring Belgorod region.
Watch former MI6 chief and Rusi boss discuss Russia, Trump and the future of the West
Who is Alex Ovechkin? Vladimir Putin congratulates Russian for breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record
Britain tests hypersonic missile engine in ‘milestone’ for UK defence
Former MI6 Chief ‘worried’ Trump has bias that Russia has right to Ukraine due to its size
US ambassador to UN issues warning after Russian strike on Zelensky's home city
The acting US ambassador to the United Nations has said that Russian strikes such as that on Friday which killed 11 adults and nine children in Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rih could jeopardise peace talks.
Claiming that “have no patience for bad faith negotiation or violation of commitments” as it seeks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Washington will Dorothy Shea told the UN Security Council on Tuesday: “We will ultimately judge President (Vladimir) Putin's commitment to a ceasefire by Russia's actions.”
Ms Shea added: “We urge the Russian Federation to bear in mind that strikes like those on Kryvyi Rih, and executions of prisoners of war, have the potential to damage peace efforts and all dependent discussions.”
US State Dept ‘disturbed’ by reports of Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in Ukraine
The US State Department has said it is aware and “disturbed” by reports of Chinese citizens fighting for Russia against Ukraine.
Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters: “It’s disturbing with the Chinese soldiers having been captured – we’re aware of those reports, that Ukraine captured two Chinese citizens fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine.
“China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine. China provides nearly 80 per cent of the dual-use items Russia needs to sustain the war – 80 per cent comes from China.
“As President Trump has said, continued cooperation between these two nuclear powers will only further contribute to global instability and make the United States less secure, less safe, and less prosperous. I think that’s an understatement.”
US confirms upcoming meeting with Russia in Istanbul
The US State Department has confirmed that American and Russian delegations will meet for a second time in Istanbul on Thursday to “solely” discuss stabilising bilateral embassy operations.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that the discussions will not include any political or security issues, adding: “Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda.
“These talks are solely focused on our embassy operations, not on normalising a bilateral relationship overall, which can only happen, as we've noted, once there is peace between Russia and Ukraine,” she added.
Analysis | How Ukraine’s prehistoric rock deposit became central to helping stop Russia
Ukraine’s minerals have become central to global geopolitics, with Donald Trump seeking a deal with Volodymyr Zelensky to access them. But what are these minerals exactly and why are they so sought after?
Ukraine is often recognised for its vast agricultural lands and industrial heritage, but beneath its surface lies one of the world’s most remarkable geological formations – the “Ukrainian Shield”.
This massive, exposed crystalline rock formed over 2.5 billion years ago, stretches across much of Ukraine. It represents one of Earth’s oldest and most stable continental blocks.
The formation has undergone multiple episodes of mountain building, the formation and movement of magma and other change throughout time. These geological processes created favourable geological conditions for forming several mineral deposits including lithium, graphite, manganese, titanium and rare earth elements.
All these are now critical for modern industries and the global green energy transition, to the extent that Ukraine has deposits containing 22 of 34 critical minerals identified by the European Union as essential for energy security – positioning Ukraine among the world’s most resource-rich nations.
Munira Raji reports:
How a 2.5bn-year-old rock deposit became central to helping stop Russia’s invasion
Deadly Russian strike on Zelensky's home city ‘underscores Trump’s call for peace’, says US
A Russian missile strike which killed 11 adults and nine children as it hit a playground in Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rih “underscores” Donald Trump’s “urgent call for peace”, the US State Department has said.
Asked about the strike, spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters: “It was a Russian Federation ballistic missile strike in a residential neighbourhood of that town – it is further underscores President Trump’s urgent call for peace.
“He’s affected by this, it’s long time to stop the death and destruction and end this war, just as we know President Trump has been committed to finding and demanding the return of the missing or stolen Ukrainian children from Russia.
“So this is top of the mind from President Trump and from Secretary Rubio.”
ICYMI: Former MI6 chief says Putin needs a ‘permanent state of antagonism’
In conversation with The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley, former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger has suggested that Vladimir Putin’s leadership offers Russia only “security” – and therefore requires a “permanent state of antagonism”.
The former spymaster said: “Security needs a threat. And I think at the beginning the threat was that Russia was fundamentally falling apart, and Putin did fix that.
“But now of course, Putin feels the need to take this to another level – and I think Putin doesn’t have a rationale unless he’s in a permanent state of antagonism, specifically with Europe. And so this needs to continue.”
Watch the full discussion here.
Nine injured in Russian drone attacks on two cities, Ukrainian officials say
At least nine people have been injured tonight as Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv, regional officials have said.
The attack on Dnipro in southeastern Ukraine sparked a fire, damaged houses and cars, and injured six people, said Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region. One woman was in serious condition after the strike.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, which has been hit by drone strikes nearly every evening over the past week, a series of explosions resounded through the city, mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Three people were injured and storage facilities were set on fire in Kharkiv.
UK intelligence has no evidence of captured soldiers having Chinese government links
UK defence intelligence officials have no evidence Chinese soldiers captured fighting for Putin have links to the Chinese government, it is understood.
Ukrainian forces battled six Chinese citizens in the eastern Donetsk region and took two prisoner, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who shared footage of one of the prisoners, who appeared with his hands zip-tied together.
Kyiv demanded an explanation from Beijing, summoning China’s charge d'affaires as foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the development “undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council”.
But it is understood that UK officials have so far found nothing that links the captured troops to the Chinese government.
Many other foreign nationals have also been recruited to fight for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
We will know within weeks if Putin is serious about peace in Ukraine, US says
The US will know within weeks whether Vladimir Putin is serious about peace, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said – with Washington’s Nato allies accusing Russia of stalling ceasefire efforts.
Donald Trump and his White House officials have reportedly become wary of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin’s commitment to peace in Ukraine - despite the US president having insisted for weeks that Putin was serious about reaching a truce.
Speaking at the end of a two-day meeting of Nato foreign ministers, Mr Rubio said: "We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are.
"If this is dragging things out, President Trump's not going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations about negotiations," Mr Rubio said.
My colleague Alex Croft has the full report:
We will know within weeks if Putin is serious about peace in Ukraine, US says
Trump defends not imposing tariffs on Russia
Donald Trump has defended the US’s decision to not impose tariffs on Russia.
Mr Trump told reporters that Russia did not have tariffs imposed “because we’re not doing business, essentially, with Russia, because they’re at war”.
Almost no countries were spared from Mr Trump’s sweeping tariffs; even small, uninhabited islands in the Indian Ocean were included in the exhaustive list. But one country was notably missing: Russia.
However, the US Trade Office indicates the US does some trade with Russia, though significantly less than it did. Last year, the total goods trade with Russia was $3.5bn.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments