EU prepares sanctions against China for supplying drone components to Russia – Politico
5 August 2025 15:06
The European Union plans to impose sanctions against China in the fall of 2025 because of its support for Russia’s military efforts in the war against Ukraine, in particular for the supply of components for drones. This was reported by Politico, citing sources in the EU diplomatic service, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The preparation of the sanctions package began after a Reuters investigation published in July. It said that Chinese-made engines, labeled in documents as “industrial refrigeration units,” were supplied to Russia through fictitious companies to circumvent Western export restrictions.
This information has caused concern in Brussels. According to the newspaper, 15 EU countries have officially asked Beijing to provide explanations, but China has either denied its involvement or refused to respond to inquiries.
One European diplomat told Politico that the evidence of the supply of unmanned components from China to Russia is credible:
“This is not only a continuation but an increase in Chinese support, both in quantity and quality. It is fair to say that without China, this war would have looked very different.”
According to him, the EU had this information even before the media publications and started checking it even then.
“After August, we will seek sanctions. We want a dialogue with China, but we also want concrete actions,” the source said.
Earlier, the Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk said that China had never provided Ukraine with the results of investigations into the Chinese components found in Russian weapons, despite repeated requests from Kyiv.
