Ukraine said on Wednesday it had detained a Chinese father and son, both suspected of spying on its prized Neptune anti-ship missile programme, a key part of Kyiv's growing domestic arms industry critical to its defence against Russian invaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused China of deeper involvement in Russia's invasion than it is letting on. Beijing has repeatedly said China is not a party to or participant in the Ukraine war, and does not provide weapons to either side.

Japan is concerned about China’s acceleration of its military buildup, especially in Japan’s southwestern areas.

China has adopted a policy of strategic ambiguity towards the conflict in Ukraine, allowing Beijing to support Russia while avoiding a direct confrontation with the West. China has played a balancing game throughout more than three years of the war in Ukraine.

For the first time since taking office in January, President Trump has reportedly authorized unspecified U.S. weapons transfers to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which takes from U.S. stockpiles, Reuters reported Thursday. The possible arms transfer is expected to total around $300 million.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia on Thursday.

Much like Ukraine’s unexpectedly resilient defence, Taipei wants Beijing to understand that a military conflict would not be as easy, or predictable, as once thought.

Ukraine has detained a Chinese man and his son and accused them of trying to smuggle info on a guided missile system back to Beijing.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on Friday.

China and Russia’s growing military-technical cooperation aims to preserve strategic stability, but it could have the opposite effect.

Kazakhstan, whose close ties with Russia and China have made it a significant regional player in Central Asia, has said it is ready to reach a compromise with the Trump administration over tariffs due to take effect next month.