China’s ambassador to Ukraine held talks with a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky to renew the push for peace talks.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Zelensky, met with China’s ambassador, Fan Xianrong, on Wednesday in Kyiv amid Ukraine’s efforts to organize a global peace summit aimed at ending the war with Russia.
“Andriy Yermak thanked the Chinese side for its interest in achieving a just peace for Ukraine,” Ukraine’s presidential office said in a statement on Wednesday. “Andriy Yermak and Fan Xianrong outlined areas for further cooperation, in particular on the issues contained in the points of the Ukrainian peace formula.”
Presidential Office of Ukraine
The two men discussed preparations for a proposed international leaders’ conference, set to be hosted in Switzerland, the presidential office said.
Zelensky has called for a “global peace summit” to support his plan for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the withdrawal of Russian troops, with Switzerland agreeing to host the gathering by this summer.
China hasn’t officially backed Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, but Beijing has continued its economic cooperation with the Kremlin. China has yet to comment on the talks between its ambassador and Zelensky’s presidential office.
Newsweek contacted China’s embassy in Ukraine and the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs for comment via email.
The talks between the Chinese and the Ukrainian officials took place after Beijing’s envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, recently held separate talks with Deputy Director General for Political Affairs and Security of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jonathan Lacôte in Paris on Monday, according to Chinese foreign ministry.
Beijing had earlier said that Li was sent to Europe to launch “new shuttle diplomacy” to seek an end to the war in Ukraine. Li visited Russia, the European Union headquarters, Poland, Ukraine, Germany and France from March 2-12, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
“All sides attached high importance to Special Representative Li Hui’s visit and commended China’s effort of promoting talks for peace,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday about Li’s visit to Europe.
In recent discussions, including a meeting in Berlin with German State Secretary Thomas Bagger, Li expressed China’s readiness to facilitate the peace conference, emphasizing the importance of equal participation from all involved parties, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Friday.
However, he also cautioned about the potential for further escalation.
Speaking with Lacôte, Li stressed the urgency of ceasing hostilities and reaching a ceasefire, the SCMP said.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.