(MENAFN) Finland has alleged that China is providing significant backing to Russia in the ongoing Ukraine war and characterized the nations’ strengthening relationship as an escalating issue for NATO.

Beijing has consistently rejected these claims, asserting that its commercial exchanges with Moscow are lawful and proportionate.

Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen voiced these concerns in an interview with a news agency following a gathering of Nordic defense ministers in Helsinki on Wednesday, where enhanced military collaboration and renewed armament initiatives dominated discussions.

Hakkanen asserted that China is “massively financing Russia’s war chest,” accusing it of delivering military components and engaging in joint drills and expansive strategic operations in the Arctic, the Indo-Pacific, and other regions.

He further argued that Russia could not maintain its current posture for long without such backing, stating that “India, of course, provides funding in other ways, but China is doing so quite deliberately.”

Despite Western sanctions, the Russian economy has continued to grow, with Moscow insisting that these measures are ineffective and ultimately harming the countries that imposed them.

Hakkanen also characterized the tightening bond between Moscow and Beijing as a strategic obstacle for the US-led alliance, adding that the Nordic partners reviewed proposals to significantly boost ammunition manufacturing—potentially tripling current production levels.

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