Ukraine on Friday sanctioned three Chinese companies, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of supplying weapons to Russia – an accusation Beijing has rejected.
The sanctions mean the companies will not be able to do business with Ukraine and any assets they have in the country will be frozen.
Zelenskyy announced the sanctions on an aeronautics firm, Beijing Aviation And Aerospace Xianghui Technology Co. Ltd, and two industrial component companies – Rui Jin Machinery Co. Ltd, and Zhongfu Shenying Carbon Fiber Xining Co. Ltd – all registered in China.
Zelenskyy this week claimed he had intelligence that China was sending weapons, including gunpowder and artillery, to Russia.
Earlier this month, Ukraine released videos of two captured Chinese men and accused them of fighting with Russian forces. Zelenskyy said there are at least155 Chinese citizens on Russia’s side in its war in Ukraine.
China has repeatedly denied it is sending fighters or weapons to Russia.
“China’s position on the Ukraine issue has always been clear,” Lin Jian, a foreign ministry spokesperson said this week. “We have been actively working to promote a ceasefire and push for peace talks.”
Analysts say Ukraine has been moving away from its studiously neutral stance towards China. Last May in Singapore, Zelenskyy accused China of helping Russia in “actively blocking” countries from participating in a peace conference in Switzerland.
This story originally appeared on NPR
