Joe Barnes: What the presence?of Chinese mercenaries tells us about Trump’s chances of negotiating peace

The war in Ukraine is now partly a battle for the attention of the White House. In such circumstances, the capture of Chinese citizens on the battlefield is a boost to Kyiv and Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president. Mr Zelensky wasted little time in casting the men as proof that “one more” nation − China − had joined the war against his country.

However, the truth may be more mundane − that these men are part of ragtag mercenary forces hoovered up by Moscow’s meat-hungry armed forces..