July 17, 2026
The European Union has for some time blamed China for allegedly supporting Russia in its war in Ukraine.
However no evidence has been publicly presented for making such claims. China insists that it is not involved in the war and strives to have good business relation with Russia as well as with Ukraine.
The EU however insisted on punishing China for its alleged support. See this for example from June 2025:
The EU's 14th Russia sanctions package again included mainland Chinese companies, as Brussels inches toward the U.S.'s approach to China.
As China ramps up its support for Russia's ongoing military campaign against Ukraine, the EU has emboldened its sanctions targeting Beijing. In late February, the EU sanctioned companies in mainland China for supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the first time- blacklisting four entities for supplying critical dual-use items to Russia. The EU's 14th sanctions package against Russia-adopted by the EU on June 24-included an additional six mainland Chinese companies "directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine."
Despite the lack of evidence for Chinese malice that policy continues. Last month the EU was again looking into sanctioning additional Chinese entities:
The EU's foreign policy service is pushing to sanction four Chinese companies it accuses of supporting Russia's war against Ukraine, according to documents seen by POLITICO.
The four firms, likely to be included in the latest package of sanctions due to be approved at a gathering of EU foreign ministers next week, assist Russia's shadow fleet, providing chemicals for Russia's military and delivering components Moscow uses to build attack drones, officials said.
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The EU has targeted Chinese firms in previous rounds of sanctions, but the latest proposals show the bloc doubling down on its strategy of going after Russia's enablers despite China warning of "consequences" over measures included in the EU's 20th round of Russia sanctions.
Over the last years the EU has become a main driver of the war in Ukraine. With its huge subsidies for Ukraine it is essentially bribing the leaders of Ukraine for prolonging the war. Ukraine is supposed to use the money to buy weapons from EU industries.
Europe's industries however lack the necessary capacities. That is why end up with otherwise abstruse headlines like this:
Ukraine to buy Chinese drone parts with EU funds ( archived) - FT
Ukraine will be allowed to spend funds from an EU defence loan on Chinese drone components, exposing Europe's reliance on Beijing for critical parts as it struggles to build its own defence industry.
Kyiv has obtained a carve-out for part of a €6bn tranche to purchase drone components from China, according to two people familiar with the decision. The funds mark the first allocation from a wider Ukraine support loan, under which €60bn is earmarked for defence procurement.
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While the EU has accused Beijing of being "the key enabler of Russia's war" against Ukraine as a key supplier to Moscow's military-industrial complex, it acknowledges that Kyiv's arms industry also relies on Chinese components.
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Ukraine requested and secured an exemption for the first €5.9bn defence tranche, which is dedicated to drone procurement. It allowed Kyiv to buy certain Chinese components that are not sufficiently available in Europe, the people said.
Will the EU now lift sanctions on Chinese companies which supply components used to build attack drones to Russia as well as to Ukraine?
This article was originally published on Moon of Alabama.