BackChinese, Ukrainian ministers speak as Zelenskiy-Xi call awaited
Beijing is concerned that a resolution to “the crisis” may be delayed, and that the situation could escalate or get out of control, according to the statement
PremiumChinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba about bilateral ties and Russia’s invasion, ahead of a possible call between the leaders of both countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has long sought talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose government has a close bilateral relationship with Russia. A call may be held as soon as next week.
China teamed up with Russia to reject wording about the invasion at a meeting of Group of 20 foreign ministers in New Delhi in early March. Similar wording had been agreed at the leaders’ summit in Indonesia less than six months before.
China Looks to Show World It Can Broker Russia-Ukraine Peace
China in February released proposals that it said were aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine, but they were rejected by Kyiv’s allies as favoring Russia. Xi is expected to travel to Moscow next week for talks with President Vladimir Putin, and may talk to Zelenskiy afterward.
“China has been taking an objective, fair position, and is dedicated to facilitating peace and negotiations, calling on the international community to create conditions for peaceful negotiations," Qin told Kuleba, according to a statement posted on the China’s foreign ministry’s website.
Beijing is concerned that a resolution to “the crisis" may be delayed, and that the situation could escalate or get out of control, according to the statement.
Kuleba said the pair discussed “the significance of the principle of territorial integrity." He spoke to Qin after talking to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Kyiv and Beijing have had difficult relations in recent years. Among other things, Ukraine blocked the sale of Motor Sich, a company that produces jet engines, to a Chinese company, while its state-run food company had trouble repaying its debt to China.
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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
