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.

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

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.”

India is fueling Russia’s war against Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil. The country is also flirting with China, said White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, reports WION. Speaking to reporters, Trump’s advisor dismissed the notion that India needs Russian oil to meet its energy needs.

Trump is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders at the White House on Monday, August 18, to press Kyiv to make a deal with Russia, which is demanding that land be ceded to Moscow.

Anthony Albanese has been accused of speaking out of both sides of its mouth after the Prime Minister spruiked a peacekeeping presence in Ukraine while saying nothing about how China is enabling President Vladimir Putin’s war.

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.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s high-stakes diplomacy to resolve the war in Ukraine is unlikely to jolt oil and gas markets, no matter the outcome.