(Beijing) Ukraine will negotiate with Russia only when the latter is ready to do so in “good faith,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday in China, where he is on an official visit.
Despite its strong economic, diplomatic and military ties with Moscow, further strengthened since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Beijing has for many months intended to play mediator between the two belligerents.
Mr. Kuleba’s visit, which is due to last until Friday, is the first by a Ukrainian official of this level since the start of the conflict.
During his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy “reiterated Ukraine’s position of being ready to negotiate with the Russian side […] “when Russia is ready to negotiate in good faith,” according to a Ukrainian statement, hammering home that “currently the Russian side is not willing to do so.”
Russian authorities have set draconian conditions for peace talks. As a prerequisite, they demand the return of four Ukrainian regions, in addition to Crimea annexed in 2014, and that Ukraine renounce its accession to NATO.
China wants to be a mediator
Asked about the meeting in the morning in Canton, in the south of China, between Wang Yi and Dmytro Kouleba, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for Chinese diplomacy, simply said that they had “exchanged their points of view” on the Ukrainian file.
“Wang Yi stressed that the crisis in Ukraine has entered its third year, the conflict is continuing and there is a risk of escalation and spillover.”
“China believes that the resolution of all conflicts must ultimately come through the negotiating table,” she added to the press.
In a statement released the same day by his ministry, Dmytro Kuleba assured that Ukraine also wanted “to follow the path of peace, recovery and development.”
“I am convinced that these are the strategic priorities that we share,” said the Ukrainian official, for whom “Russian aggression has destroyed peace and slowed down development.”
In his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that China had given “a clear signal” of its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
“I expect a detailed report from the minister (Kuleba) upon his return to Ukraine,” he added.
China, which shares with Russia a desire to act as a counterweight to the United States, has never condemned the Russian invasion and accuses NATO of neglecting Moscow’s security concerns.
However, last year, in a document on the war, this Asian giant also called for respect for the territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine.
He thus presents himself as a measured interlocutor compared to the West, accused of “throwing oil on the fire” by delivering weapons to the Ukrainians.
Despite obvious differences in positions, Dmytro Kuleba said on Instagram on Tuesday that Kyiv and Beijing should engage “in direct dialogue” and called for “avoiding competition between peace plans.”
Western accusations
A week ago, Volodymyr Zelensky opened the door to talks with Russia, saying he was in favor of the presence of Russian representatives at a future peace summit.
A first summit was organised in mid-June in Switzerland, but Russia was not invited and China therefore decided not to participate, considering that it had no chance, under these conditions, of achieving progress.
The Chinese had set several conditions for their possible presence: a summit must “allow the equal participation of all parties” and a “fair discussion of all peace plans”, including that of President Vladimir Putin, which Kyiv refuses, since this implies de facto a capitulation of Ukraine.
“Russia and Ukraine have recently shown, to varying degrees, their willingness to negotiate,” Chinese spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday. “Although the conditions are not yet ripe, we support all efforts conducive to peace and are willing to continue playing a constructive role in achieving a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks,” she said.
China is regularly accused by the Americans and Europeans of offering Russia, targeted by significant Western sanctions, crucial economic support in its war effort.
Western countries particularly accuse Chinese companies of selling “dual-use” products (civil and military) necessary to keep Russian arms production afloat, something Beijing denies.
Three dead in shootout between Ukrainian soldiers
PHOTO FLORENT VERGNES, ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The circumstances of the incident were not yet clear and the military did not say who was responsible, saying only that the weapons were used for “personal” rather than military reasons.
A shootout between Ukrainian soldiers stationed in the Kharkiv region (north-east Ukraine) left three dead and four seriously injured, a division of the Ukrainian army said on Wednesday.
“The soldiers used firearms in one of the units in the context of personal relations. Three soldiers were killed and four others were injured,” the Khortytsia division said.
The injured are suffering from “serious” injuries and law enforcement is at the scene, according to the same source.
“The management is taking all necessary measures to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future,” she added.
The circumstances of the incident were not yet clear and the military did not say who was responsible, saying only that the weapons were used for “personal” rather than military reasons.
Violence among active-duty military personnel is a sensitive issue in Ukraine, but shootings are rare.
In January 2022, weeks before the Russian invasion, a 21-year-old Ukrainian National Guard conscript killed four soldiers and a civilian with an assault rifle at an aerospace plant.
In May 2024, a 57-year-old Russian soldier recruited from a penal colony allegedly shot dead six of his comrades in the eastern Donetsk region.