EU Confirms China Trained Russian Troops for Ukraine War

BRUSSELS, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed on Monday that EU intelligence services have verified reports of Chinese military personnel training Russian troops who were then deployed to fight in Ukraine, a finding that sharpens the diplomatic pressure Beijing faces as EU leaders prepare to meet in Brussels this week.

"We have also now verified reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine," Kallas said after chairing a meeting of the bloc's 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg, as reported by Bloomberg. "We are carefully assessing the implications."

The confirmation had been building for days. According to reporting by European Pravda, which first cited a senior EU official speaking on condition of anonymity in Brussels on 12 June, <cite index="18-1,18-2">China trained hundreds of Russian soldiers on its territory before they took part in Russia's war against Ukraine, according to evidence confirmed by European Union intelligence services.</cite> The official told European Pravda that <cite index="18-7,18-8">the training took place at several training bases in China and involved hundreds of Russian military personnel.</cite>

<cite index="18-9">The official noted that China denies training soldiers who later ended up fighting in Ukraine, but said the EU possesses conclusive evidence.</cite> That denial came quickly. <cite index="27-6,27-7">China's Foreign Ministry swiftly rejected the allegation, with ministry spokesperson Lin Jian telling reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing: "The remarks have no factual basis and are purely slander and smears."</cite>

The intelligence picture goes further than troop counts. According to Militarnyi, <cite index="23-3">one of the European intelligence agencies identified several Russian military personnel who, after training in China, participated in combat operations involving drones in the temporarily occupied Crimea and Zaporizhzhia region.</cite> The drone connection matters. <cite index="23-4">In May 2026, it became known that Chinese components had become the most numerous among foreign electronics in Russian Shahed-type strike UAVs, displacing American parts, with their share rising to 65 percent.</cite>

Kallas was direct about Beijing's broader role. <cite index="27-5">She described Beijing as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's invasion, a term frequently used by Western officials with regard to China's support for Moscow.</cite> The framing carries weight: it moves the public EU line on China from concern about economic over-dependence toward language that implies strategic complicity.

The timing is pointed. <cite index="11-8,11-9">EU foreign affairs ministers had discussed the state of play of relations between the European Union and China against the backdrop of current geopolitical developments, with that exchange at the Foreign Affairs Council focused on foreign and security aspects ahead of the European Council meeting on 18 and 19 June.</cite> Trade sits alongside security on that agenda. <cite index="11-10,11-11">From distorting subsidies, growing trade imbalances, and a near monopoly of critical raw materials, the list of issues remains long. "Reducing dependencies with China won't be easy or cheap, but it's necessary and urgent," Kallas said.</cite>

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has added political weight to that demand. <cite index="18-12">Merz has called for tougher EU trade measures against China.</cite> <cite index="18-13">EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic recently said he would like the EU to take inspiration from the United States in its trade negotiations with China.</cite>

The two-day European Council meeting, which opened on Wednesday in Brussels, carries an unusually crowded agenda. <cite index="8-2">Against the backdrop of a challenging geopolitical context, leaders are discussing issues including competitiveness, the EU's long-term budget for 2028 to 2034, Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, migration and illicit drugs.</cite> <cite index="8-3">Leaders are also hearing from President Zelenskyy on the latest developments in Ukraine.</cite>

On enlargement, <cite index="8-6">leaders are discussing the opening of the first cluster of chapters in accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova,</cite> a step Costa's invitation letter to member states described as a recognition of reforms carried out under extraordinary pressure.

The China-Russia training disclosure adds a harder edge to what is already the most consequential EU summit of this calendar year. Whether the bloc converts that intelligence confirmation into concrete diplomatic or trade action, or files it as leverage for the next round of talks with Beijing, is the question that will outlast the summit communique.

Sources cited:
- Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-16/eu-says-china-trained-russian-troops-to-fight-in-ukraine-war)
- European Pravda (https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2026/06/12/7239576/)
- Newsweek (https://www.newsweek.com/china-denies-eu-claim-it-trained-russian-troops-12077463)
- Militarnyi (https://militarnyi.com/en/news/eu-confirm-training-russian-military-china/)
- Council of the EU, Foreign Affairs Council 15 June 2026 (https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/fac/2026/06/15/)
- Council of the EU, European Council 18-19 June 2026 (https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2026/06/18-19/)