2024-07-24 22:15:14
D. Kuleba’s statement to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was made during his visit to China, where negotiations with Russia’s most important ally began on Tuesday.
China pretends to be neutral about the war in Ukraine and insists that the only way to end the war is to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table. China says it does not send lethal weapons aid to any country, unlike the United States and other Western powers, despite being Russia’s main political and economic partner. NATO members call Beijing “an important war enabler”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that D. Kuleba told Wang Yi that Kyiv is ready to negotiate with Russian representatives when Moscow wants “benevolent” negotiations.
“D. Kuleba reiterated Ukraine’s consistent position that it is ready to negotiate with Russia at a certain stage when Russia is ready to negotiate in good faith, but emphasized that there is no such readiness of Russia at the moment,” the ministry said in a statement.
It quoted D. Kuleba as saying that he “is convinced that a just peace in Ukraine is in China’s strategic interests, and that China’s role as a world peace-seeking force is important.”
D. Kuleba is the first high-ranking Ukrainian official to visit China since the Russian invasion. His trip will last until Friday. China’s foreign ministry said Kuleba and Wang Yi held talks in Guangzhou, with spokeswoman Mao Ning telling reporters that they “exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis.”
“Although the conditions and time are not yet ripe, we support all efforts that contribute to peace and are willing to continue to play a constructive role in achieving a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks,” Mao Ning said. “China has always been firmly committed to promoting a political solution to the crisis,” she added.
China is presenting itself as a potential mediator, sending its envoy Li Hui to Europe and issuing a document calling for a “political solution” to the conflict. But Western countries say the plan, if implemented, would allow Russia to keep much of the seized Ukrainian territory.
2024-07-24 22:15:14