Ukrainian Foreign Minister to visit China

Ukrainian foreign minister to visit China on invitation of counterpart, Wang Yi who is also a member of Political Bureau of Communist Part of China Central Committee.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister is set to visit China this week, aiming to encourage Beijing to take a more active role in Ukraine’s peace efforts amidst the ongoing Russian invasion.

The four-day visit is at the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who has met with his Ukrainian counterpart three times and had two phone calls with him since the conflict began. This will be Kuleba’s first visit to China since assuming office in 2020.

The announcement states that the primary topic of discussion will be exploring ways to halt Russian aggression and considering China’s potential role in achieving a sustainable and just peace.

This visit is believed to be Kuleba’s first to China since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Western countries view China as having closer ties with Russia, noting China’s absence from the international conference on peace in Ukraine in June.

China seems to align with Russia on resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban this month, emphasized that an “early ceasefire and a political settlement are in the interests of all parties.”

Ukraine plans to hold a second peace summit by the end of this year to garner international support for its peace plan. As Ukrainian Foreign Minister is to visit China, he is expected to invite China to attend the summit and become more involved in the Ukraine-led peace process.