The United States government is monitoring the suspected involvement of China in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said on Wednesday. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes confirmed that the US presidency is trying to verify reports of Chinese citizens participating in the war.
“If the Chinese government is allowing their citizens to fight on behalf of the Russia government, this would be a concerning escalation and the US will consider options moving forward,” he said.
The reaction followed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s information regarding the arrest of Chinese soldiers joining the Russian military in the fight against Ukraine. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy stated that at least 155 Chinese nationals are on active duty for its adversary, and accused Beijing of denying involvement in their recruitment.
“We record that they (China) knew about it,” Zelenskyy said. “These are Chinese citizens, they are fighting against us, using weapons against Ukrainians.”
“Their motivation, money or not, politics, etcetera, is not yet known to me. But it will be known,” the president told reporters.
The Chinese government also on Wednesday denied supporting Russia in an official capacity, suggesting that people could have joined on their own accord.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said citizens were warned “to stay away from conflict zones, and refrain from participating in any party’s military operations.”
