"And Putin Realizes This, Too."

• 19.10.2026, 14:25

Will China make territorial claims against Russia?

In our lifetime, we will see China make territorial claims against Russia. This was discussed in an interview OBOZ.UA stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from 2020 to 2024 Dmytro Kuleba.

— Xi Jinping does not need a strong Russia. If Russia wins and subjugates Ukraine, it will become stronger. It will develop new ambitions and a new sense of its own power: ‘We did it; we can go further.’ And that’s an entirely different conversation with Beijing.

Historically, Russia and China have fought each other repeatedly. And I am convinced that, in our lifetime, we will see China begin to make territorial claims against the Russian Federation.

According to Kuleba, they will initially speak cautiously about this in official statements:

— But at various levels, representatives of the Communist Party of China may begin to raise the issue that, at one time, a million square kilometers of territory were ceded to Russia—territory that China considers historically its own. They’ll say it’s unfair and that something needs to be done about it. And then a different conversation will begin. We’ll have to negotiate and find a solution. Dear Russian comrades, our friendship knows no bounds. But our patience is not boundless either. In such a relationship, there should be no taboos. They might say, “We have questions about what happened in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.” You wronged us back then; you took our territories. Let’s settle this somehow now. All of this could become a political issue. And Putin realizes this, too. That is precisely why Xi Jinping doesn’t want a strong Russia.