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Danilov: Ukraine hasn't found Chinese weapons on the battlefield

by The Kyiv Independent news desk April 17, 2023 10:54 AM 2 min read
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov speaks with the Kyiv Independent in his office on Jan. 30. (Photo: Danylo Pavlov)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine hasn't found any Chinese weapons used by Russia on the battlefield, National Security and Defense Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said in an interview on April 16.

"In the event that this changes, we will promptly notify both (Ukrainian) society and the world. However, considering China's involvement in world affairs, it is unclear why they would choose to supply weapons to the Russian Federation at this time," Danilov said.

Danilov added that when Ukraine was able to confirm Russia had started using Iranian-made drones to attack the country, authorities "immediately made a statement about it" and appealed to the countries whose components had been used in the making of the drones.

China has publicly positioned itself as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine. On April 14, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that his country wouldn't sell weaponry to either side of the war.

However, Li Shangfu, China’s newly appointed defense minister, visited Russia on April 16 for his first official visit abroad and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that he had "specifically chosen Russia" in order to "emphasize the special nature and strategic importance" of bilateral relations between the two countries.

China released a 12-point "peace plan" on the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. It was criticized by many of Ukraine's allies for failing to explicitly call for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.

Explainer: China’s increasing role in Russia’s war against Ukraine
Just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, China’s leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “friendship without limits,” agreeing there would be no “forbidden areas of cooperation.” Unsurprisingly then, Beijing did not condemn Russia’s all-out w…

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