Ukraine's FM Kuleba arrives in China to hold talks with head of Chinese foreign ministry
Photo: press service of Ukraine's foreign ministry
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba arrived in China at the invitation of the Chinese foreign ministry.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced this on social networks.
The minister noted that the journey to China took two days.
"But it's worth it. Because the conversation about peace in Ukraine is worth any effort and time spent on it. We want it, of course, as soon as possible," Kuleba said.
He noted that this is the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs's first visit to China since the beginning of the full-scale war and the first full-fledged bilateral visit since 2012.
"I think the date speaks for itself," Kuleba added.
He announced that detailed and extensive negotiations are expected, focusing on Ukraine's peace issue.
"We will talk; we will look for points of contact. We need to avoid the competition of "peace plans." We need to move towards a just and sustainable peace, and China can play an important role in this," the minister said.
For reference:
Dmytro Kuleba is visiting China on July 23-25 at the invitation of the head of the Foreign Ministry of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi. In February, Kuleba already met with Wang Yi to discuss bilateral relations and trade and told him about the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. However, China was never represented at the summit. Instead, the PRC is promoting a competing peace plan for Ukraine.
During Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's visit to China, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke of a "quick ceasefire and political settlement" of the Russian-Ukrainian war without specifying whether this includes support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Last year, during his visit to Ukraine, Kuleba also met with the Chinese government's special representative, Li Hui. The minister then emphasized that Ukraine "does not accept any proposals that would involve the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict."
