President Zelensky Accuses Russia Of Systematicly Recruiting Chinese Citizens For War In Ukraine

President Zelensky. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of systematically working in China to recruit fighters for the war in Ukraine, days after announcing its troops had arrested two Chinese nationals who fought for Moscow.

"It is very clear that this is not an isolated case, but rather a systematic Russian effort, particularly in Chinese territory and jurisdiction, to recruit citizens of the country for war," President Zelensky wrote in X, referring to the people arrested.

President Zelensky posted an interrogation recording with one of them, which Reuters cannot independently verify.

"Everything needed to be done to ensure that Russia has no such opportunities and the like to prolong and expand the war," President Zelensky added.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied President Zelensky's claims and described Beijing as taking a "balanced position".

Yesterday, China warned Ukraine against making "unresponsible" statements, after President Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had revealed at least 155 Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia.

China, which has declared an "infinity" partnership with Russia, has tried to position itself as an actor in an attempt to negotiate the end of the war.

"I want to reiterate that China is not the initiator of the Ukraine crisis, and China is also not the party participating. We are strong supporters and promoters are actively resolving the crisis peacefully," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.

"We urge related parties to understand correctly and wisely China's role and not issue irresponsible statements," he said at a regular press conference.

Lin reiterated that the Chinese government has always asked its citizens to stay away from the armed conflict zone, "and in particular not to participate in military action on both sides".