EU says China trained Russian troops as bloc weighs tougher stance on Beijing

The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the bloc has verified reports that China’s military has been “training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine”, a development that could deepen tensions between the two sides.

Kallas, speaking after chairing a meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, said that the EU was “carefully assessing the implications” of the assessment, adding that the ministers had agreed to sanction several Chinese entities during the debate.

While the former Estonian prime minister did not further explain her remarks or the nature of Beijing’s alleged support, it was reported by Reuters last month that China had provided covert training to around 200 Russian military personnel in 2025, some of whom had returned to fight in Ukraine.

The training was predominantly focused on the use of drones and outlined in a “dual-language Russian-Chinese agreement signed by senior Russian and Chinese officers in Beijing on July 2, 2025”, Reuters reported. The newswire said hundreds of Chinese troops would also undergo training in Russia as part of the agreement.

In May, the Chinese foreign ministry denied the Reuters report, saying that “on the issue of the Ukrainian crisis, China has consistently adhered to an objective and impartial position and made efforts to promote peace negotiations”.

Beijing insists that it is neutral in the Ukraine war, launched by a full-scale Russian invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. While it has been accused in Europe of being the primary financial enabler

of Russia’s war effort, leading to a litany of sanctions on Chinese entities, it has insisted that trade with Russia does not constitute military support.