Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba informed his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that Kyiv does not believe Russia is ready for “good faith” negotiations to end the war, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
Kuleba’s comments came during his visit to China, where he began talks on Tuesday with a key ally of Russia. China, which positions itself as a neutral party, maintains that the conflict can only be resolved through dialogue between Ukraine and Russia. While it refrains from providing lethal aid to either side, China is a significant political and economic partner of Russia. Western nations have criticized Beijing as a “decisive enabler” of the conflict.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Kuleba emphasized Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate with Russia when Moscow shows genuine intent. Kuleba highlighted that a just peace in Ukraine aligns with China’s strategic interests and underscored China’s role as a global peace advocate.
Kuleba is the highest-ranking Ukrainian official to visit China since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His visit, which started on Tuesday, is set to conclude on Friday.
China’s Foreign Ministry reported that Kuleba and Wang discussed the Ukraine crisis in Guangzhou. Spokeswoman Mao Ning mentioned that while conditions for peace are not yet optimal, China supports all peace efforts and aims to contribute constructively to a ceasefire and resumption of talks. Beijing has consistently advocated for a political resolution to the conflict.
Despite these claims, Western nations argue that China’s proposed solutions might allow Russia to keep much of the territory it has captured. China has denied allegations of supporting Russia’s war efforts and has accused the West of exacerbating the conflict through arms supplies to Kyiv. Additionally, China did not attend last month’s peace summit in Switzerland, protesting the exclusion of Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had urged China to seriously consider peace proposals during that summit.