Kyiv Summons Chinese Diplomat Over Capture of Chinese Soldiers in Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Tuesday his ministry summoned a Chinese diplomat over the recent capture of two Chinese soldiers reportedly fighting for the Russian Armed Forces. 

Sybiha’s message followed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s earlier update – with a video – that two Chinese men fighting for Russia were captured by Kyiv, where one of the alleged fighters described on video the moment he and his commander were hit by drones using a mix of Mandarin Chinese and English. 

Sybiha said he condemns “Russia‘s involvement of Chinese citizens in its war of aggression against Ukraine,” while simultaneously hinting at Beijing’s complicity in his Tuesday’s statement. 

“We strongly condemn Russia‘s involvement of Chinese citizens in its war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as their participation in combat against Ukrainian forces,” Sybiha said in his X update. 

“We have summoned China’s chargé d’affaires in Ukraine to the Foreign Ministry to condemn this fact and demand an explanation,” he added.  

Sybiha said that the capture of the Chinese fighters “puts into question China’s declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing’s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

His message marked a major turn for Kyiv in its approach to Beijing, as Kyiv has long sought Beijing’s support in its defense against Moscow’s invasion despite the friendly relations between China and Russia. 

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On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February, Sybiha met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, where both sides’ subsequent press releases emphasized the significant trade between the two countries and hinted at positive talks, albeit with slightly differences in how the term sovereignty was mentioned. 

The positive talks in Munich followed a similar tone seen in previous talks, including those in the summer of 2024 when Beijing’s Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visited Ukraine, Russia, and Europe for his “shuttle diplomacy” tour. 

While Beijing has sought to position itself as a potential mediator to end the war in Ukraine – recently via the so-called “Friends of Peace” group by leveraging support from the Global South – its close ties with Moscow, whose leader had a direct phone call with China on the anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale Ukraine invasion, have raised questions over its neutrality.