Ukraine's top diplomat to visit China this week to talk peace, Kyiv says

[July 22, 2024]  KYIV/BEIJING (Reuters) - Ukraine's top diplomat will visit China on Tuesday at the invitation of Beijing for talks that Kyiv said would focus on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine and on a possible Chinese role in reaching a settlement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba waits for a meeting with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 3, 2024. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo

Nearly 29 months since Russia's full-scale invasion, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will discuss bilateral ties at talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a trip to China from July 23 to 25, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

"The main topic of discussion will be the search for ways to stop Russia's aggression and China's possible role in achieving a stable and just peace," the Ukrainian ministry said in a statement on its website.

The Chinese statement said Kuleba's visit would run from July 23 to 26 and provided less detail.

The trip is unusual as China is widely seen as close to the Kremlin, with which Beijing declared a "no limits" partnership in 2022 just days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Though the world's second largest economy has not condemned the Russian invasion and helped keep Russia's war economy afloat, Kyiv has been cautious in its criticism of Beijing.

China meanwhile says its ties with Russia are built on the basis of non-alliance and do not target any third party.

Various peace initiatives have emerged in recent months as the fighting has dragged on ahead of a U.S. election in November that could see the return to power of ex-president Donald Trump who has threatened to cut vital aid flows to Ukraine.

Kyiv held an international summit without Russian representation in Switzerland in June to promote its vision of peace and now says it hopes to be ready to hold another one in November that would feature Russian representation.

China, which did not attend the Swiss summit, together with Brazil published a separate six-point peace plan on May 23, saying they supported an international peace conference being held that would be recognised by both sides in the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that only the world's powerful countries would be able to successfully bring an end to the war, singling out China as well as Kyiv's close U.S. ally as two possibilities.

The Ukrainian leader has said that China should play a serious role in helping to resolve the war.

(Reporting by Liz Lee, Olena Harmash and Yuliia Dysa; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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