For Europe, China’s close ties with Russia and perceived support for its war effort have overshadowed ties between China and Europe for more than three years. In Beijing, European Council President António Costa told his counterparts that China should “use its influence on Russia to respect the United Nations Charter and to bring an end of its war of aggression against Ukraine.

Russia’s foreign minister has cast fresh doubt on peace talks, questioning “the legitimacy” of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to sign any future agreements after targetting a US factory in a large bombardment on Ukraine.

As US President Donald Trump holds talks with Ukraine’s President, China’s leaders see something very different: Opportunity. CNN’s Will Ripley reports.

The Alaska summit between President Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was more than a high-stakes encounter over the Ukraine war. It signaled America’s recognition that its own missteps have helped drive Russia closer to China, fueling a de facto alliance that poses the gravest threat to U.S. global preeminence since the Cold War.

Most significantly, China’s influence has recently shifted from passive supply to active manipulation of the technological balance on the battlefield—the hallmark of a state engaged in proxy warfare. In May 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated bluntly, “Chinese Mavic [drones] are open for Russians but are closed for Ukrainians.”

The China-Russia alliance has grown since 2019 with joint military exercises, weapons technology sharing and coordinated strategy that could potentially create a two-front crisis risk for America.

The war in Ukraine is about to enter its second year, and after losing ground to Ukrainian forces in the second half of 2022, Russia may be seeking more help from China.

China could end Russia's war on Ukraine if it wanted to, says Finland President Alexander Stubb. "Russia is so dependent on China right now," Stubb told Bloomberg on Tuesday.

Therefore, even though China is the largest trading partner of Ukraine, the former is hardly likely to risk destabilizing the CCP’s regime by leaning toward Kyiv in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made clear he would like China join his push for peace in the war with Russia. But Beijing is looking to the Middle East.

China faces growing economic and geopolitical risks from the intensifying war in Ukraine, as it attempts to preserve its relationship with Russia without alienating the West.

Ukraine does not consider China a possible security guarantor after the war, since such guarantees can only be given by countries that are actually helping, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters on August 20.