‘There’s a risk of a third world war’: Zelensky on Russia’s arms negotiations with China

Speaking at a Kyiv press conference, Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes that China will not supply Russia with weapons.

“I would like to believe,” he said, “that China will be on the side of a just world, which means it’ll be on our side. I’ll be honest with you, and this is something I care about: I want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia. This is very important to me, a number one priority.”

Ukraine’s president said he does everything in his power to prevent such an arms deal. “This, to be honest, is a risk that there could be a third world war,” he said, commenting on the potential weapons deal between China and Russia.

Earlier, Der Spiegel broke the story that the Russian military was negotiating with a Chinese military drone producer.

China has presented an official position on the Ukraine war on the anniversary of the invasion. Although Zelensky rejected the claim that this was any kind of a viable “peace plan,” he also welcomed China’s readiness to “think” about the conflict and contribute to a resolution.