The EU on Monday for the first time imposed fully-fledged sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia’s military for the war on Ukraine.

It has also added North Korea’s defence minister to its sanctions blacklist after the secretive state sent troops to Russia to reinforce its military.

The move – part of the EU’s 15th round of sanctions over the conflict – represented a heightened effort to tackle the crucial role allegedly being played by China in keeping Russia’s war machine going.

The EU said it was blacklisting four Chinese companies for “supplying sensitive drone components and microelectronic components” to the Russian military.

Two other firms and one Chinese businesswoman were hit for circumventing EU sanctions aimed at stopping equipment flowing to Moscow.