EU says it verified China trained Russians fighting in Ukraine; Beijing denounces ‘slander’

China denounced on Tuesday European Union claims that Beijing had trained Russian troops sent to Ukraine as “pure slander”, after the bloc’s top diplomat became the latest to raise the issue.

Ukrainian and European Union flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels in February 2026. Photo: European Commission.

China has presented itself as a neutral party since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, although Kyiv’s allies have long accused Beijing of secretly helping its close partner Moscow.

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday the bloc had now “verified reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine”, calling Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war.

Asked about the comments at a regular news briefing, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said: “The relevant claims have no factual basis. It is pure slander and smearing.”

Several media outlets reported last month that European intelligence agencies believed China had conducted the training.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in January 2025. Photo: Kaja Kallas, via Facebook.

A senior EU official confirmed the reports on Friday, saying the training was happening in several locations in China and that “hundreds” of troops were involved.

Kallas said on Monday the EU had sanctioned several Chinese entities in response.

The allegations bolster suspicions that Beijing has offered more material support to Moscow than publicly disclosed.

Ties between China and Russia have strengthened since the war began, with Beijing providing an economic lifeline to diplomatically isolated Moscow.