Ukraine’s foreign minister to press China on support for Russia
Dmytro Kuleba visits China to discuss ending Russia’s invasion and sustainable peace efforts.
Ukraine’s foreign minister will head to China on Tuesday for two days of talks in a bid to persuade Beijing to reduce its support for Russia and get behind Kyiv’s push for “sustainable” peace.
The main topic of discussion on Dmytro Kuleba’s trip, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday, will be “the search for ways to stop Russian aggression and China’s possible role in achieving a sustainable and just peace”.
A close political and economic ally of Moscow, Beijing denies that it supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, China has not condemned the war either and refused to join Ukrainian-led international peace conferences.
Beijing confirmed the planned talks with the Ukrainian official. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that Kuleba’s visit was initiated by China’s foreign minister.
Last year, Beijing released a paper calling for a “political settlement” to the conflict. However, Ukraine dismissed the proposal and Western countries warned that the suggested solution could enable Russia to retain much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.
During a visit to Beijing in May, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signalled his approval of China’s plan, calling it a “genuine desire” to end the war.
Last month, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hosted a peace summit in Switzerland to set out his vision for a lasting peace. The summit drew about 100 delegations from various nations and international bodies though Russia was not invited.
Beijing refused to attend in protest, provoking an accusation from Zelenskyy that China was collaborating with Russia to undermine the event.
China said that “all efforts” to support peace measures should be recognised.
Kyiv and Moscow have intensified fatal cross-border missile and drone attacks over recent months with both sides primarily targeting energy infrastructure.
Russia makes nearly daily announcements about the interception of Ukrainian drones which Kyiv says are a response to Russian attacks aimed at military and civilian targets since Moscow launched its special military operation in February 2022.