China’s Ambassador Li Hui met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv Tuesday and Wednesday, kicking off a wider European tour aimed at brokering peace.
(Bloomberg) — China’s Ambassador Li Hui met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv Tuesday and Wednesday, kicking off a wider European tour aimed at brokering peace.
The two men discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to end Russian aggression in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian ministry’s website. Kuleba said Ukraine does not accept any proposals that include the loss of territories or frozen conflict.
President Xi Jinping announced last month during a call with Volodymyr Zelenskiy that China would send an envoy to Ukraine. It was the first time the two leaders had spoken since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Li, who is heading the delegation, is a former ambassador to Moscow. A photo of the meeting also featured Ukraine’s newly appointed ambassador to China, Pavlo Riabikin, sitting next to Kuleba.
China has tried in recent months to cast itself as a potential mediator in the conflict, having unveiled a vague blueprint for peace in Ukraine in February, with Xi meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin the following month.
The plan was criticized by the US and others in the West, as it included several clear benefits to Russia — including a cease-fire that would freeze Russian troops in place on Ukrainian territory. Ukraine said at the time that it hoped China would “urge the Russian Federation to stop the war and to withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine.”
Li — who is special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian Affairs — will also visit Poland, France and Germany, China’s Foreign Ministry earlier announced.
He’s added a visit to Brussels to his trip, too, according to a report from the South China Morning Post, which cited people familiar with his itinerary.
It’s also a busy week for Xi on the diplomacy front. The Chinese leader is hosting a major summit in Xi’an from Thursday, when he will seek to deepen Beijing’s influence in Central Asia. The kickoff coincides with the start of the Group of Seven’s meeting in Hiroshima, Japan.
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