Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said Wednesday in China that his country is open to negotiations with Russia. “kyiv is ready for dialogue with Russia at any given time if Moscow is prepared to negotiate in good faith,” Kuleba told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, whom he met in the city of Guangzhou, in southern China. The conversation lasted more than three hours, and was “very deep and concrete,” according to Reuters from a source in the Ukrainian delegation. “Although the conditions and the moment are not yet ripe, we support all efforts that lead to peace and we are ready to continue to play a constructive role in the ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks,” Wang told him, according to the Chinese version collected by the official Xinhua agency.
Kuleba, the first member of the Ukrainian government to visit China since Russia began its invasion on February 24, 2022, came to the meeting with the aim of exploring new prospects for peace. In his first remarks at the meeting, he said he hoped to have “comprehensive and substantive talks on bilateral relations, the international agenda and, most importantly, the path to peace.”
The Ukrainian foreign minister reaffirmed Ukraine’s already established position that it would be ready to engage with the Russian side in the negotiation process at a certain stage, but stressed that “currently” there is no willingness on the part of Russia. He also briefed Wang on the results of the Peace Summit held in Switzerland in June, assuring him that “a just peace is in China’s strategic interest” and that “Russian aggression is not only an obstacle to Ukraine’s development, but also hinders international stability, the development of good-neighborly relations, and in particular, the development of trade between China and Europe.”
“China believes that all conflicts should end at the negotiating table, and all disputes should be resolved through political means,” Wang said at the meeting, reiterating that both Ukraine and Russia have recently shown their willingness to negotiate.
The Kremlin in Moscow immediately welcomed the meeting in Guangzhou. “It can be said that the message itself is in unison with our position,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, when asked about Kuleba’s words, although he added that it was necessary to wait for more information and to know “the details.”
Relations between kyiv and Beijing have not been easy since the start of the war. It took more than a year for Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hold a telephone conversation. The Ukrainian foreign minister has gone to China, aware of the importance of this country as a mediator. It is perhaps the only government that still has the capacity to influence Russia, it has never condemned the invasion, it remains Moscow’s main diplomatic and economic ally, and it has recently been accused by NATO of being a “decisive facilitator” of the Russian war effort.
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China is, however, one of the few major powers that the leaders of the two warring countries can attend after Kuleba’s visit. Last year, Beijing presented a proposal for a “political solution” to what it calls a “crisis” (but refuses to call it a “war”), which was received lukewarmly by kyiv and Western capitals: it stressed the sovereignty of the countries, but did not condemn Russian aggression, and instead recalled that the security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. “The legitimate interests and security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously,” the text read. The People’s Republic also appointed a special envoy last year, whose trips to the countries in conflict have so far yielded no results. In May, China and Brazil signed a six-point document to achieve a negotiated solution.
One of the main issues on the table in the meeting between Wang and Kuleba was precisely the harmonization of visions of Beijing and kyiv on this roadmap. “We must avoid competition between peace plans. It is very important that we engage in direct dialogue and exchange positions,” Kuleba had announced on Tuesday upon landing in China. The People’s Republic did not send any representative to the last peace conference held in June in Switzerland, which Russia did not attend either. Beijing has been insisting for months that an international peace summit must have the approval of Moscow and kyiv, must be recognized by both parties, with equal participation, and allow for a debate of all options.
“Ukraine attaches importance to China’s opinions and has carefully studied the six-point consensus reached by China and Brazil on the political solution to the Ukrainian crisis,” Kuleba told Wang, according to the Chinese readout. “Ukraine is willing and ready to engage in dialogue and negotiations with Russia,” he reiterated. “Of course, the negotiations must be rational and substantive, with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace.”
The document signed with Brazil calls on Ukraine and Russia to create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and to promote de-escalation until a complete ceasefire is achieved. It also supports the holding of an international peace conference “at an appropriate time that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties, as well as a fair discussion of all peace plans,” says the signed text.
kyiv is betting on Zelensky’s so-called Peace Formula, a 10-point plan that calls for, among other things, the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity to the 1991 borders, the withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of hostilities. This formula was the basis of the summit held in Switzerland with the participation of a hundred governments.
The meeting in Guangzhou comes at a time of global anticipation, as the parties appear to be trying to reposition their pawns and reconsider strategies ahead of the US elections in November. Donald Trump, who is leading in the polls, has even said he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, although he has not said how.
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