Top China envoy to begin peace mission in Ukraine as Russia steps up attacks

KYIV – A top Chinese envoy will begin his tour of Ukraine and four other nations in Kyiv on Tuesday, in a trip designed to bolster Chinese President Xi Jinping’s credentials as a global peacemaker. 

Ambassador Li Hui, special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian Affairs, will visit the capital on Tuesday and Wednesday, a Ukrainian official told AFP and Reuters on Monday. It is not clear whether Mr Li will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr Li’s arrival comes as Russia intensifies its war efforts in the Ukrainian capital. Air raid sirens were triggered across Ukraine early on Tuesday and multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, marking the eighth Russian attack on the capital in May. 

Mr Li, a former ambassador to Moscow, who is fluent in Russian, will also visit Poland, France, Germany and Russia, although China’s Foreign Ministry has not confirmed the trip’s itinerary or length.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last Friday that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not yet on the schedule”, according to state news agency Tass.

Mr Xi announced in April that China would send an envoy to Ukraine, during

his first call with Mr Zelensky since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

The Chinese leader has come under pressure from Western powers for failing to condemn Mr Putin’s war. 

It is unclear how much progress Mr Li can make. Kyiv dismissed China’s suggestion earlier in 2023 of a ceasefire, as it would freeze Russian troops in place on Ukrainian territory.

Backing a solution more amenable to Mr Zelensky would risk alienating Mr Putin, with whom Mr Xi declared

a “no limits” friendship

on the eve of Russia’s invasion.

“It is not possible to reach any settlement with only one round of shuttle diplomacy. This is merely the beginning,” said Dr Wang Yiwei, a Renmin University professor who specialises in Europe studies. 

“Li’s visit itself is already a breakthrough as it rejects the claims that China is supporting Russia’s war,” he added. “It’ll help to put China-Europe relations back on a right track.”

Mr Zelensky has been on his own European tour in recent days. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday “opened the door” for Ukrainian fighter pilots

to be trained in France,

while the next day, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

backed the idea of a coalition to provide Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets.

The Ukrainian leader also met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who

announced the country’s biggest package yet for Ukraine’s armed forces

. Bloomberg