The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) Kyrylo Budanov informed that China does not want Russiaʼs defeat in the war against Ukraine.
He stated this in an interview with Nataliia Moseichuk.
"There is a unique culture there, their logic is not always clear to our population. For China, Russiaʼs military defeat is a bad thing. In a big strategic game, in their opinion, they will be left alone with their opponents, and they donʼt want that," noted Budanov.
He also noted that at the same time China supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine and speaks about it.
"It means a lot, the official statements there are serious. They need a configuration in which Russia does not suffer an open defeat, but it is also desirable that Ukraine regains its sovereignty. But I emphasize that it is desirable," said Budanov, adding that if China helped the Russian Federation, it would not have any problems with weapons.
- The day before, The Telegraph published an investigation that says China is arming Russia with helicopters, drones, optical sights and metals used in the defense industry.
- The Wall Street Journal writes that China supplies Russia with everything from microchips and cars to shovels and excavators. This helps the Kremlin to wage war and Beijing to save the economy.
- On July 24, Politico reported that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has been purchasing material for body armor, optical sights and drones from China through "front companies."
- In February 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China published a "peace plan" for the settlement of the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Beijing called for negotiations. The plan contains 12 principles, which, according to the authors, should contribute to the end of the Russian Federationʼs war against Ukraine. The word "war" is not mentioned in the document — in the English version of the document, the authors use the words "conflict" and "Ukrainian crisis".