Ukraine’s leading diplomat heads to China this week for peace negotiations

• The visit will focus on preventing Russia's aggression and China's role in achieving a stable peace.
• China, perceived as close to the Kremlin, has declared a "no limits" partnership with Russia in 2022.
• Despite China's non-alliance ties with Russia, Kyiv has been cautious in criticizing Beijing.

Ukraine’s top diplomat will visit China on Tuesday at Beijing's invitation to discuss how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and explore a potential Chinese role in settling. Nearly 29 months after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will discuss bilateral ties with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his trip to China from July 23 to 25, according to the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

“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 indicates that Kuleba’s visit will take place from July 23 to 26, offering less detail about the trip. This visit is notable because China is generally perceived as close to the Kremlin, having declared a “no limits” partnership with Russia in 2022, just days before the invasion of Ukraine.

Although the world’s second-largest economy has not condemned the Russian invasion and has helped sustain Russia’s war economy, Kyiv has been cautious in criticizing Beijing. Meanwhile, China maintains that its ties with Russia are based on non-alliance principles and do not target any third party.

Various peace initiatives have emerged in recent months as the fighting has continued, with a US election in November potentially bringing former President Donald Trump back to power. Trump has threatened to cut crucial aid to Ukraine.

In June, Kyiv hosted an international summit in Switzerland without Russian representation to promote its vision of peace. Kyiv now hopes to organize another summit in November that will include Russian representation.

China, which did not attend the Swiss summit, and Brazil published a separate six-point peace plan on May 23. They supported an international peace conference that both sides would recognize in the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that only the world’s powerful countries can successfully end the war, highlighting China and Kyiv’s close US ally as potential key players. He has emphasized that China should play a significant role in helping to resolve the conflict.

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