Is timing right for China’s foreign minister to visit Ukraine as part of peace efforts?

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during a recent trip to China that Kyiv was open to talks if Moscow showed ‘good faith’

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Dmytro Kuleba and Wang Yi pictured during the Ukrainian minister’s visit to China. Photo: AP

Published: 9:00pm, 1 Aug 2024Updated: 9:34pm, 1 Aug 2024

Ukraine’s invitation to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit the country may be a sign that Kyiv is increasingly looking to Beijing for support, Chinese analysts said, but warned it remains to be seen how far the warring sides are willing to engage.

During his visit to China last week – his first since the war started in February 2022 – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Wang that the country was happy to talk to Russia if Moscow was acting in “good faith”.

Wang Yiwei, a Europe specialist at Renmin University, said it would be “good timing” for Wang to visit amid what he called a “softening” in the stance of Ukraine and its Western supporters.

According to Wang, the possible return to the White House by Donald Trump – who has boasted that he can end the war within 24 hours if he wins the upcoming US presidential election – and the increased presence in the European Parliament of right-wing politicians who oppose further help for Ukraine have raised questions about how far international support for Kyiv will continue.

Wang said President Volodymyr Zelensky is worried “that Ukraine could be ‘sacrificed’ by the West”. He added: “Even Europe now hopes China will play a greater role in mediating … China also sees the urgency and is willing to do its work.”

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Ukraine says it’s ready to resume ‘good faith’ negotiations with Russia

Wang Yiwei said it was possible that a trip by China’s foreign minister could pave the way for Zelensky to meet Xi Jinping – most probably at an international gathering such as this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru or the G20 meeting in Brazil.