Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Guangzhou, China, to discuss potential paths to end Russian aggression and China’s possible role in achieving sustainable peace, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports.
According to Reuters, the meeting lasted over three hours. During the meeting, Kuleba emphasized Ukraine’s stance on negotiations with Russia.
“I conveyed Ukraine’s consistent readiness to engage in a negotiation process with the Russian side at a certain stage when Russia is prepared to conduct negotiations in good faith,” Kuleba said, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports.
However, he said that currently, no such readiness is observed from the Russian side.
Wang Yi referred to the full-scale war in Ukraine as a “crisis” that has been ongoing for three years, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. He said China “has always been firmly committed to promoting a political resolution to the crisis.”
“Russia and Ukraine have signaled their readiness for negotiations to varying degrees. Although the conditions and timing are not yet ripe, we support all efforts that contribute to peace and are ready to continue playing a constructive role,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported.
Kuleba expressed his belief that “a just peace in Ukraine aligns with China’s strategic interests, and China’s role as a global force for peace is important,” according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press release. He added,
“We need to end the war against Ukraine, restore peace, and accelerate the recovery of our country,” Kuleba said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also briefed Wang Yi on the results of the Summit in Switzerland and explained the logic behind further steps in implementing the Peace Formula as a way to justly end Russian aggression.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Ukraine and China emphasized the need for a long-term vision and planning of relations between the two countries, as well as advancing Sino-Ukrainian relations and bilateral cooperation.