16.06.2026 Claims that Chinese military personnel allegedly assisted Russian troops during the fighting in Ukraine are factually unfounded and slanderous, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated at a briefing, wrietes Chinese CGTN news.
Kaja Kallas:
❗️"We have also now verified reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine. We are carefully assessing the implications." pic.twitter.com/VSgrOIacLM
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 16, 2026
“These statements have no basis in fact; they are pure slander and libel,” the diplomat commented on the statement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
The day before, on June 15, following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Kallas stated that the EU had investigated reports that Chinese military personnel had trained Russian troops for combat operations in Ukraine. “We are carefully assessing the consequences,” she said.
The West has repeatedly accused China of military support for Russia. In May, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, commenting on rumors about Russian military training in China, called them “false information.”
China on Tuesday rejected allegations from the European Union’s top diplomat that Beijing may have trained Russian military personnel now fighting in Ukraine, calling the accusations “groundless” and a “pure smear.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian pushed back at a regular news briefing when asked about remarks by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas. Earlier Kallas said the bloc was verifying reports that Chinese forces had provided training to Russian troops deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.
“The relevant claim has no factual basis and is nothing but defamation and slander,” Lin said.
Meanwhile, on June 4, during the SPIEF, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia was continuing military and military-technical cooperation with China. He emphasized that such interaction is traditional and not related to global political events.
On May 19 and 20, Putin made an official visit to China.
