Germany to China: 'Deeply Disturbing' You're Training Russian Soldiers, Could You Not?
Germany is not thrilled China is training Russian soldiers; Russia claims another city; Sumy gets bombed; Ukraine and Poland have a history lesson; Lithuania wants nukes; Russian athletes still banned.
Germany has summoned China's ambassador for an urgent chat after reports emerged that the Chinese army has been secretly training Russian soldiers - some of whom have reportedly been deployed in Ukraine. The German foreign ministry called the reports 'deeply disturbing,' adding that any support enabling Russia's war of aggression is a 'threat' to Germany's security. The revelation came from Die Welt, citing classified European intelligence documents that claim several hundred Russian troops received training on Chinese soil. In other news, Russia claims to have 'completely' taken control of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, a city of about 78,000 that has been under assault since late 2025. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced the victory, though independent verification is, as usual, lacking. Meanwhile, a Russian glide bomb strike on the center of Sumy killed at least four people, including a child, and injured 27. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for intensified pressure on Russia 'so that the terror can be stopped.' On the diplomatic front, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Ukraine is looking to lower tensions with Warsaw - a task complicated by a dispute over historical honors and a massacre. And Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda announced the country wants to be part of Western nuclear deterrence against Russia, initiating a constitutional amendment to remove the ban on deploying nuclear weapons. Finally, World Athletics has reaffirmed its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, citing no 'tangible movement towards peace negotiations.' So, no track and field for you, but plenty of geopolitical hurdles.
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