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The Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s stop in Guangzhou this week demonstrates kyiv’s willingness to engage Beijing in peace talks that China has so far largely snubbed.
By Alexandra Stevenson and Constant Méheut
Alexandra Stevenson reported from Hong Kong and Constant Méheut from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukraine’s most level-headed diplomat met China’s foreign minister on Wednesday in talks that signaled kyiv’s greater willingness to seek a diplomatic solution to the war with Russia and for China to play a more central role in the effort.
“I am convinced that a just peace in Ukraine is in China’s strategic interest,” Dmytro Kuleba said after a meeting with Wang Yi, the Chinese official, in Guangzhou, southern China. “China’s role as a global force for peace is important. “
Kuleba made it clear that Ukraine is imposing situations in such negotiations, saying it will only engage with Russia when Moscow “is ready to negotiate with intelligent faith. “He added: “Lately there has been no such willingness on the Russian side. “
Kuleba is visiting China for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His vacation comes as Ukraine slowly loses ground in the war and faces growing uncertainty about what goal it will get from the West. Moscow and Kyiv held peace talks shortly in the spring of 2022 but temporarily failed on critical issues.
For China, Kuleba reflects its ambition to play a greater role in security-demanding global situations as a counterweight to the United States. It also serves to refute Western complaints about Beijing’s close alignment with Russia.
Wang said China is determined to find a political solution to the crisis, adding that while the time has not yet come, Moscow and Kiev have “sent signals of their willingness to negotiate to varying degrees,” according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry report.
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