The European Union (EU) has no evidence of the existence of a request from the Russian authorities to Beijing regarding the provision of military and economic assistance in the war with Ukraine.

At the moment, the EU can neither confirm nor deny any claims that Russia has requested Chinese assistance. The EU has no evidence that such a request was made, European Commission Spokesperson Nabila Massrali said at a briefing in Brussels on Monday, answering a question from journalists about possible EU action if China provides military or economic assistance to Russia.

According to her, the EU is in close contact with the United States "on all issues related to the war in Ukraine, including the position of China."

Earlier, CNN, citing two U.S. officials, reported that Russia had asked China for military assistance in Ukraine, including drones, as well as economic assistance for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. According to one of the officials, the requests came after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The official declined to detail China's reaction, but indicated that the country had reacted.