Ukraine’s former prime minister has accused China of being an ‘accomplice’ in Moscow’s bloody invasion of his besieged country.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk criticized Beijing, rejecting the idea that the Asian powerhouse was ‘neutral’ in Vladimir Putin’s aggressive quest to conquer Ukraine.

Mr. Yatsenyuk, Ukraine’s Prime Minister from 2014 to 2016, argued that China had responsibilities and was accountable for the ongoing conflict that has persisted for nearly four years.

He charged Chinese President Xi Jinping’s administration with supporting Putin’s violent campaign, by financially backing the Kremlin and others from ‘behind the scenes’.

In a fiery speech in London, Mr Yatsenyuk said: ‘China is neutral? Sorry, it’s BS. It is not true. China is not neutral. China is an accomplice.

‘China holds responsibility and accountability for the war Russia has launched against Ukraine. China provides critical support to Russia, enabling its war efforts. It’s financing Russia’s military operations by purchasing Russian oil.

‘China is supporting Russia in circumventing sanctions. China is using Russia as a ram in UN Security Council.’ 

Mr Yatsenyuk accused Beijing of ‘pretending to be a very kind panda’ while continuing to fund Putin’s invasion and propping up his allies. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin stroll at the Chinese leader’s personal residence Zhongnanhai in Beijing last month.

Ukraine’s ex-Prime Minister has labeled China as an ‘accomplice’ in Russia’s attack on Ukraine (the image shows a building in Zaporizhzhia after being struck by a Russian drone over the weekend).

Arseniy Yatsenyuk (pictured) lashed out at Beijing , dismissing claims the Asian superpower was ‘neutral’ in Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin ‘s effort to overrun Ukraine

Speaking during a panel at military think-tank RUSI, the retired PM warned Russia was unlikely to end its invasion, claiming Putin had neither the intention nor the ability to withdraw his forces, who have suffered an estimated one million casualties so far. 

He added China was ‘sponsoring North Korea’, which has sent thousands of conscripts to the frontlines, and of giving the secretive state a ‘financial lifeline’.

His comments come amid fresh claims China is supporting Russian attacks by supplying critical satellite intelligence to the Kremlin. 

Oleh Alexandrov, a senior official Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, said Beijing and Moscow were working closely to identify Ukrainian targets.

‘There is evidence of a high level of co-operation between Russia and China in conducting satellite reconnaissance of the territory of Ukraine in order to identify and further explore strategic objects for targeting,’ he said.

He added that in recent months sites hit by Russian attacks included facilities owned by foreign investors. In August, a Russian missile strike on a US-owned appliance factory in Zakarpattia, western Ukraine, injured 15 people. 

Kyiv has widened sanctions targeting Russia’s military-industrial base as well as its foreign partners. In his nightly address on Saturday, President Zelensky revealed he had signed three decrees imposing restrictions on 33 individuals and 27 companies.

The new measures sought to disrupt Russia’s war effort by targeting drone and optics manufacturers as well as Shenzhen Weiliao International Trade Co, a Chinese firm supplying parts for Shahed-type drones built at Alabuga factory in Russia.

Putin has ramped up his drone and missile strikes in recent weeks to record levels, despite urgent efforts to try and negotiate a ceasefire or peace deal.

Firefighters extinguish a van on fire in a backyard of a residential house damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes over the weekend

It’s led to a furious response from US President Donald Trump, who in an attempt to woo Putin invited the Russian despot to Alaska for talks on Ukraine, and broker a peace pact. 

Despite POTUS saying the meeting had been a positive one, within hours of Putin returning to Moscow, Russia launched one of its most barbaric barrages of the war so far, pummelling Ukraine with hundreds of suicide drones and missiles. 

And in a fresh provocation, Putin last month breached the airspace of a number of European countries, sparking outrage. It saw MiG-31 fighter jets breaching Estonian airspace for 12 minutes and a drone barrage flying over Poland. 

Meanwhile in Denmark, a series of drones have been spotted close to Danish airports, prompting accusations Russia was behind the incident.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen last week warned a ‘hybrid war’ in Europe is underway, describing it as ‘the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War’.

On Saturday, Lithuania was forced to temporarily close its main airport after a series of hot air balloons flew close to the airspace. It’s unclear who was responsible for the incident. But the recent level of Russian activity over Europe’s skies has led to fresh accusations against Moscow.

Lithuania’s former foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, warned Europe is facing its own ‘Pearl Harbour’ moment, in a nod to the savage attack launched by Japan against the American naval base that dragged the US into the Second World War. 

Speaking to the Telegraph yesterday, he said: ‘Are we accepting the reality that we might already be at war, or are we still believing we are in control? We are allowing higher and higher levels of escalation with no proper answers.

‘If that continues, we need to expect a Pearl Harbor day for Europe, when the escalation will be so impossible to ignore that it will bring about a Western reawakening.’

Ukraine has long called for increased support to aid its fight against Russia. 

Ukraine has called on more weapons to be provided to counter the Russian military (pictured is a Russian ‘Grad’ self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher firing)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on fresh support from EU and Nato allies 

Speaking to defence experts in London last week, Mr Yatsenyuk dismissed the offer of security guarantees by the West as unworkable.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other allies in the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ are committed to putting ‘boots on the ground’ in a form of peace-keeping mission to bolster Ukraine’s security, should a peace deal be agreed. 

Defence think-tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the smallest force to achieve such a role would need to be around 6,000 people. 

But there are concerns over how long such a mission would last, and how much it will ultimately cost the UK taxpayer to sustain. 

However, in his speech to defence experts in London, Mr Yatsenyuk said: ‘Your people, sorry to say, have to realise that this is the threat to your own security, to your own life. 

‘Russia wants chaos in your countries. They want to undermine this fragile stability that you enjoy

‘Investing into Ukraine, you are not just helping Ukraine, you are investing into your own security.’

The former PM said Britain is a ‘superpower’ and must continue to act like it.

But he criticised the EU and NATO for its indecision, with allies stuck in a state of seeming suspended animation over whether or not to take a tougher stance on Putin’s escalatory aggression.

It comes amid pleas from Ukraine for NATO to impose a no-fly zone above parts of the country, which could ease the pressure on Ukraine’s military, that is forced to defend the skies against Russian missile and drone onslaughts on a near-daily basis.  

Hitting out, the retired Ukrainian prime minister – who was in charge of the country when Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 – said: ‘We can win this war, but actions are needed.

‘Putin is playing for time. He believes time is on his side and the more we are dragging our feet, the higher chance Putin has not to win this war but to drag us into an into a never-ending war of attrition.’

A Russian strike in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, on the night of October 4, 2025

He warned one of the biggest threats facing Ukraine now is ‘inconsistency and unwillingness to pass bold and strong decisions’ from allies in Europe, NATO and the USA, with the latter still mulling over whether or not to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles.

The tech could be a potential game-changer for Kyiv, allowing it to strike deep into the heart of Russian territory, bringing Moscow into range. 

However, Putin – who Trump accused of being a ‘paper tiger’ – has hit back and warned against such a measure. 

‘This will lead to the destruction of our relations, or at least the positive trends that have emerged in these relations,’ he said in a televised address.

But Mr Yatsenyuk said European and NATO allies should not ‘underestimate’ their own capabilities or feel threatened by Putin, whose military force had been ‘greatly diminished’ by almost four years of war. 

‘Instead of coalition of the willing, we need to have coalition of the billing to pay for both purchases of arms in the European Union and in the United States,’ he added.

‘Otherwise, it sounds like cheap talk, like hot air because instead of doing something, the way I read it, we pretend to do something. We are just kicking the can down the road. But that’s not the way to find the solution.’

As well as continued military support, with kit, ammunition and supplies, Ukraine is also seeking allies to approve unlocking £300billion of frozen Russian assets to help fund its fight against Moscow.

However, there is a debate raging around whether using these funds is legal, which is threatening to stall any effort to provide Ukraine with much-needed cash. It comes amid claims Kyiv could face a $150billion-$170billion ‘budget gap’ in the next three years, Mr Yatsenyuk warned. 

A Russian soldier is seen training to assault through trenches before heading to Ukraine 

The former economist insisted Ukraine should legally be supplied with the frozen assets, saying: ‘Russia committed an act of aggression. Russia commits atrocities and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. 

‘So, it is about justice whether we can bring Russia to justice, and the confiscation of the Russian assets is the best way to show that the world will not give any kind of leeway to Russia and that the world will punish Russia for everything Russia has committed.’

Speaking of China, he added: ‘China is interested in the defeat of Ukraine and defeat of the western world.’ 

Over the weekend, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 50 missiles and around 500 attack drones overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning.

At least five people lost their lives in the strikes and around 10 people were left injured, the president added.

The regions of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Kirovohrad all targeted.