An investigation by RFE/RL’s Schemes has found that companies at least partially owned by the Chinese state are feeding critical minerals to Russian suppliers to manufacturers of weapons the Kremlin has used to pummel Ukraine since its all-out invasion nearly three years ago.

With Western sanctions cutting off supplies, China has become Russia’s sole source of critical minerals used in weapons production—including nuclear arms—deepening concerns over Beijing’s support for Moscow’s war effort.

China welcomes US President Donald Trump’s intention to resolve the "Ukraine crisis" and pledges to continue facilitating negotiations while staying in contact with all parties, stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

Dialogue and negotiation the only viable way: Chinese FM responds to Trump’s remarks that China should ‘play major role in ending conflict in Ukraine’

Once a global leader in cryptocurrency mining, China banned the activity in 2021, citing financial and environmental concerns. Russia is also becoming increasingly dependent on its neighbor at a time when its war-time economy is being choked by sanctions, with no end in sight.

Russia and China are strengthening their cooperation on AI technology. Although China-Russia imports and exports have reached record levels, growth has slowed significantly compared to 2023.

China has taken a huge leap forward with DeepSeek and Large Language Models. It is a technology that is surprisingly applicable to drone warfare.

President Trump said Thursday he thinks China can help to end the Russia-Ukraine war because of Beijing’s economic influence over Moscow.

Asked about sensitive topics, the bot would begin to answer, then stop and delete its own work. It refused to answer questions like: “Who is Xi Jinping?”

Kyiv region. A Russian ballistic missile strike in Ukraine's capital on the morning of January 18 killed three people and wounded three others. Dnipropetrovsk region. On the morning of January 17, a Russian missile attack on the region's second-biggest city, home to more than 500,000 residents, killed four people and wounded 14 others.