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.

When Donald Trump takes office, his greatest challenge will be how he deals with the new axis of totalitarian states. This axis comprises China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Myanmar and a growing number of others.

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.

According to Mao, resolving the war in Ukraine requires "dialogue and negotiations." She also addressed Trump’s remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he suggested China could assist in ending Russia’s war against 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.

In December, Russia reportedly sold its stakes in certain Kazakh uranium deposits to Chinese-owned companies. This involved Kazakhstan's nuclear resources company, Kazatomprom, and Russia's Rosatom transferring interests to Chinese entities, National Security News reported.

As Eisenhower once said of how conflicts end, 'sometimes it just gets down to the dirty job of killing until one side or the other cracks.'

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