ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Tuesday that China has been transferring machinery for weapons production to Russia, calling on Beijing to halt such support and use its influence to push Moscow toward peace.

Speaking at a meeting in Kyiv with Dutch Foreign Minister David van Wiel, Zelenskyy said he had previously received assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping that China would not supply weapons to Russia.

“My signals are very simple. We had telephone conversations with Xi Jinping. He assured me that weapons would not be sold to the Russians. We, (however), see that China gave machine tools for weapons to the Russian Federation. We see that (China) helps to circumvent sanctions. We see that there are Chinese mercenaries who fought against the Ukrainian military,” Zelenskyy was quoted by Ukraine's state-run Ukrinform news agency as saying.

He emphasized that Beijing should instead put pressure on Moscow to stop its aggression rather than supporting efforts to prolong the war.

The remarks came as US President Donald Trump said he plans to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine with Xi Jinping during their upcoming meeting in South Korea on Oct. 30. Trump said Xi “can have significant influence on Putin,” and added that he would also urge the Chinese leader to stop purchasing Russian oil.

China has denied providing lethal aid to Russia but has faced growing Western scrutiny over its role in supplying dual-use technologies amid ongoing sanctions.