"A just peace in Ukraine is in China's strategic interests, and China's role as a global force for peace is important" – FM Kuleba
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and his Chinese colleague Wang Yi. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
While in Guangzhou, China, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba,, met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The primary focus of the meeting was discussing strategies to halt Russian aggression and exploring the potential involvement of Chinain achieving a just peace.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that.
The representative of the Ukrainian delegation said that these negotiations lasted more than three hours, longer than planned. He called the conversation "very deep and concrete."
"The negotiations have ended. They lasted more than three hours in total, longer than planned. It was a very deep and concrete conversation," a Ukrainian source in the delegation told Reuters.
As noted in the department, the diplomats' meeting was held to develop contacts between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
"I am convinced that a just peace in Ukraine is in China's strategic interests, and China's role as a global force for peace is important," Kuleba said at the talks.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry separately told a colleague about the results of the June Peace Summit in Switzerland. He also explained the logic of further steps in implementing the "peace formula" to end Russian aggression.
In addition, Kuleba proved Ukraine's consistent position: that it is ready for the negotiation process with Russia "at a certain stage" when the country is ready to lead them honestly. At the same time, he noted that there is currently no such readiness on the Russian side.
"Russian aggression not only stands in the way of the development of Ukraine. It also stands in the way of international stability, the development of good neighborly relations, and particularly, the development of trade between China and Europe," said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
Also, within the negotiations, the heads of the MFA exchanged views on the current state and prospects for the development of bilateral relations and on the international agenda.
According to a report on the department's website, Wang Yi again spoke about the "crisis in Ukraine, which has been going on for the third year," while China, on the other hand, "has always been firmly committed to promoting a political solution to the crisis."
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.
He announced that detailed and extensive negotiations are expected, with the focus on the issue of peace in Ukraine.
In addition, at a summit in Croatia in June, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba met with China's special representative for European affairs, Wu Hongbo.
Also 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 promotes 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."
