Ukraine’s top diplomat in Beijing for talks on ending war

BEIJING – Ukraine’s foreign minister was in China on July 23 for talks on how officials there might help end the war with Russia, whose ties with Beijing have grown stronger since the conflict began.

China presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.

But its deepening

“no limits” partnership with Russia

has led Nato members to brand it a “decisive enabler” of Moscow’s war, which Beijing has never condemned.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s visit until July 26 is his first trip to the country

since the war began in February 2022

.

Kyiv said Mr Kuleba’s visit would focus on “ways to stop Russian aggression” as well as “China’s possible role in achieving a sustainable and just peace”.

Beijing said on July 23 that the talks would focus on “advancing China-Ukraine cooperation and other issues of common interest”.

“On the Ukraine crisis, China always believes that an early ceasefire and a political settlement serve the common interests of all parties,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. “China will continue to stand on the side of peace and dialogue.”

China has sought to paint itself as a mediator in the war, sending special representative on Eurasian affairs Li Hui to Europe on multiple rounds of “shuttle diplomacy”.

President Xi Jinping told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban earlier in July that world powers should help Russia and Ukraine

restart direct negotiations

.

Mr Orban’s visit to Beijing was branded as a “peace mission”.

China also released a paper in 2023 calling for a “political settlement” to the conflict. However, it was criticised by Western countries for enabling Russia to retain much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.

Beijing has rebuffed claims that it is supporting Russia’s war effort, insisting last week that its position was “open and above board” and accusing the West of fuelling the conflict through arms shipments to Kyiv.

China, a close political and economic ally of Russia, did not attend a peace summit in Switzerland in June in protest against Moscow not being invited.

‘Extract a price’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called during that summit for Beijing to engage seriously with developing peace proposals.

Mr Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, told AFP that Kyiv could likely seek this week to “convince China that it should participate in a second peace summit”.

“Beijing can try to extract a price, even for sending somebody like special envoy... Li Hui,” he said.

China has offered a critical lifeline to Russia’s isolated economy since the conflict began.

This economic partnership has come under scrutiny from the West in recent months, with Washington vowing to go after financial institutions that facilitate Moscow’s war effort.

The United States and Europe have also accused China of selling components and equipment necessary to keep Russia’s military production afloat.

Mr Gabuev suggested that Beijing may this week “try to leverage this Ukrainian interest in a second peace summit... in order to get itself off the hook for deepening sanctions”.

But another analyst said it was possible that Beijing could be keen to play a larger role in mediating a conflict “that threatens to become increasingly costly for Chinese businesses and interests”.

“China is undoubtedly sustaining its overall support for Russia,” said Dr Bjorn Alexander Duben, an assistant professor at China’s Jilin University.

“But there are signs that Beijing is getting increasingly wary of the diplomatic, political and economic cost of its ongoing de facto support for Moscow,” he added. AFP