Ukraine's FM in China sought to change Beijing's position and intensify peacekeeping efforts, diplomat Khara says

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

“I think that some adjustment of the position is possible, but we will certainly not see China as an impartial mediator in this conflict. It is de facto an ally of the Russian Federation in this matter. It is unlikely that the Chinese will abandon their “peace plan” - the 12 points that were on the anniversary of the large-scale invasion, or the 6 points that were just a few months ago in a joint statement by the foreign ministers of China and Brazil. I think the most important thing that Kuleba wanted to achieve was an attempt to get China to change its position, to be more active in peacekeeping efforts. Of course, Kuleba absolutely did not want there to be rival peace plans, that we should come to one thing,” the diplomat explained.

Khara emphasized that the Ukrainian foreign minister defended Ukraine's peace plan during his working trip to China.

“He also wanted to try to put pressure on China. Because Kuleba said that Russia's war against Ukraine is not only grief, but it is also a suspension or slowdown of economic development, and this war is an obstacle to the development of economic relations between China and Europe. That is, it has tried to do so, but it is unlikely to change, because China's key interests do not coincide with Ukraine and our partners. The Chinese don't want the West to consolidate the resources it has to restrain it in the Indo-Pacific region - this is the first thing. Secondly, a weak partner, the Russian Federation, is very profitable: you can buy anything, you can advance into Russian territory without being invaded, and you can actually take control of entire regions of the Russian Federation, not to mention the resources that are pumped out of there. The most important thing is that such a dependent partner will support China in a possible confrontation in the Indo-Pacific region,” summarized the Center for Defense Strategies expert on foreign and security policy.

Trip of Ukraine's foreign minister to China

On Tuesday, July 23, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in China to meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for talks “on the path to a just peace.”

According to him, in Beijing, he will hold extensive, detailed and substantive talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the path to a just peace. The Foreign Minister will also discuss the development of bilateral relations with the Chinese side.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said it was important that China learns directly from Ukraine about the damage it has suffered because of Russia's aggressive war. He added that China is helping to fuel the hostilities by supporting Russia's defense industry.

On Wednesday, July 24, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Guangzhou. They discussed, among other things, the Peace Summit and ways to stop Russian aggression. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during the meeting, China confirmed that it would not supply weapons to Russia.