China has again warned Russia not to consider using nuclear arms against Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This warning comes as Russia has increased its nuclear rhetoric, with officials and major Russian outlets making the case for tactical nukes more forcefully.

Russia’s Nuclear Saber Rattling

Russia’s nuclear saber rattling has accelerated in 2026, with officials and major Russian outlets making the case for tactical nukes more forcefully and unambiguously than any time since Vladimir Putin ordered the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. China, a vital enabler of Moscow’s assault, has told Russia it must avoid any atomic attacks, Zelenskyy said, reiterating Beijing’s long-stated opposition to nuclear strikes.

Senior Chinese officials confirmed they’d relayed that message to Moscow in talks with a western government ahead of this week’s NATO summit. The topic of Russia’s potential tactical nuke use was also raised in at least one leader’s meeting with Zelenskyy at the summit.

China’s Message to Russia

China’s message is a potent one for Russia, given Moscow has become increasingly reliant on Beijing to enable its military production. Beijing has warned Russia before about making nuclear threats. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

While Russia is considering an escalation in Ukraine or elsewhere, there are no signs whatsoever that it is planning or preparing to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about intelligence assessments. Moscow is fear-mongering in the hope that the U.S. and other allies cut their support to Ukraine, the officials said.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.