Ukraine’s Foreign Minister embarks on landmark visit to China
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is set to visit China this week following an invitation from his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
This marks Kuleba’s first trip to Beijing since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For nearly two years, Kuleba has refrained from visiting the Chinese capital.
China's Foreign Ministry has shared limited details about the visit, with spokesperson Mao Ning stating that Kuleba will be in China for several days, from Tuesday to Friday. The visit is held at the invitation of Wang Yi, as Xinhua confirmed.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has also confirmed the visit and said that discussions will primarily focus on "finding ways to overcome Russian aggression and exploring China’s potential role in achieving a stable and just peace," according to a statement from Kyiv.
Ukraine and China will continue discussions on potential avenues to end the war, said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tikhyi in a Facebook post. As part of these efforts, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is set to arrive in Beijing in 24 hours.
Dmytro Kuleba has received an invitation to visit China and meet with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The visit is scheduled to occur within the next day. Over the course of three days, the diplomats will engage in dialogue about the war in Ukraine and bilateral relations, said Tikhyi.
Tikhyi noted that the Ukrainian Foreign Minister will be in China from July 23 to July 25, in response to an invitation from his Chinese counterpart. The primary topic of discussion will be the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China’s role in the process.
As of now, Dmytro Kuleba has not mentioned the upcoming visit on his X (Twitter) account, nor has the event been announced on China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
China has made several attempts to influence the Russia-Ukraine war. For instance, during a meeting with Dmytro Kuleba at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, 2024, the Ukrainian diplomat was reminded of China’s peace plan. The 12-point plan includes items on grain and nuclear security and proposes halting the war at current positions. From China’s perspective, this would allow negotiations to resume on enforcing international law.
In early spring, this subject had been discussed during the tour of Major-General Yao Qin, Deputy Director of the Department for International Military Cooperation, across several global capitals, including Moscow, Kyiv, and Brussels. Specific details remained sparse as media coverage highlighted "exchange of views" and "ongoing cooperation". Simultaneously, Kuleba indicated that
However, China was notably absent from the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. Just before the summit, China reminded Ukraine that 26 countries support its peace plan.
The visit comes shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden, who has been a leading figure in international support for Ukraine, announced he would not seek re-election.
Kuleba’s trip follows a few weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly criticized Beijing for assisting Moscow in undermining a peace conference in Switzerland last month.