President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on Tuesday that two Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russian forces had been taken as prisoners of war.

Zelensky said that the two Chinese citizens had been captured while fighting in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. He added that Kyiv had information that “there are many more such Chinese citizens in the enemy’s units”, without providing evidence. The claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate comment from the Chinese or Russian governments.

The announcement came at a fraught moment for Ukraine as the Trump administration has seemingly drawn closer to Russia while trying to act as a mediator in ceasefire talks.

Zelensky on Tuesday did not suggest that the Chinese fighters had been sent by China’s military, but he pointed to their presence as further evidence that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was not truly interested in peace.

“Russia’s involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war. He is looking for ways to continue fighting,” he wrote on social media.

Zelensky said that he had instructed his foreign minister to “immediately contact Beijing and clarify how China intends to respond to this”.

The foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, confirmed that he had summoned the Chinese chargé d’affaires to demand an explanation. “Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China’s declared stance for peace,” Sybiha wrote on social media.

Both Russia and Ukraine have had foreign fighters in their ranks throughout the more than three years of war. In most cases they are foreign volunteers or mercenaries, though Russia’s military has enlisted the help of North Korean soldiers.

The presence of Chinese nationals on the front lines in Ukraine has never been reported in Chinese state media. However, there have been unverified reports on social media in China of mercenaries from the country fighting in Ukraine.

While China has claimed neutrality in the war, Beijing has provided the Kremlin with both diplomatic and economic backing during the conflict, support that the Biden administration said allowed Russia to sustain its offensive.

China purchases huge quantities of Russian oil and supplies Moscow with technologies that can be used on the battlefield, such as drones.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and Putin have met numerous times and deepened their countries’ ties to include more military cooperation.

Zelensky’s announcement about the Chinese fighters came hours after he confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian forces were operating in the Belgorod region of Russia.

New York Times News Service