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‘Second biggest mistake’: Zelensky accuses Russia of dragging China into Ukraine war
Zelensky had earlier published a video of one of two allegedly captured Chinese citizens wearing military fatigues and with their hands bound.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of dragging China into the ongoing war in Ukraine, calling it “the second biggest mistake” made by Vladimir Putin.
"This is the second mistake for Russia. The first was North Korea. They drag other countries into war. I believe that they are now dragging China into this war," Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv.
Zelensky's latest remarks came as he claimed to have evidence that dozens of its citizens were being recruited by Moscow's army to fight.
Kyiv had details of more than 150 Chinese nationals who had been deployed to the front, Zelensky said, a day after claiming Ukraine's army had captured two Chinese citizens fighting in the eastern Donetsk region.
"The 'Chinese' issue is serious. There are 155 people with names and passport details who are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv.
Zelensky shares video of Chinese nationals captured in Ukraine
Zelensky had earlier published a video of one of two allegedly captured Chinese citizens wearing military fatigues and with their hands bound.
In the video, the prisoner mimicked combat sounds and uttered several words in Mandarin. The Ukrainian army said Chinese ID cards and contracts for Russian military service had been found on them.
China's response
China, on the other hand, rejected Zelensky's claim that its citizens had been recruited in big numbers to fight with Russia and warned Chinese nationals to "avoid involvement in armed conflicts".
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian had earlier rejected Zelensky's previous claim that "many" Chinese citizens had been recruited by Russia to fight as "absolutely groundless".
"The Chinese government has always asked its citizens to stay away from areas of armed conflict (and) avoid involvement in armed conflicts in any form," he said.
Zelensky earlier alleged North Korea's involvement in Ukraine war
According to Kyiv, North Korea last year despatched more than 10,000 of its soldiers to support Russia's army after Ukraine launched a brazen cross-border attack on the western Kursk region.
(with AFP inputs)
