Ukraine’s foreign minister seeking ‘common ground’ with China in talks on ending war with Russia

BEIJING (AP) — Ukraine’s foreign minister says he is seeking “common ground” in talks with his Chinese counterpart on ending his country’s war with Russia.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, has strained relations between the two countries.

Video released by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry showed Dmytro Kuleba exchanging opening remarks on Wednesday with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a meeting in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. It is the first visit by a Ukrainian foreign minister since the war started in 2022.

Wang said that China attaches great importance to its relations with Ukraine. Noting the growth in trade between the two countries, he said that their relations have continued to develop normally “despite complex and ever-changing international and regional situations.”

China has close ties with Russia and has pushed for an end to the war that would take into account the interests of both sides. That position has put it at odds not only with Ukraine but also Western European countries and the United States, which are demanding a Russian withdrawal as the basis for any settlement.

China did not participate in a peace conference in Switzerland last month that did not include Russia.

In a video posted late Tuesday on his social media accounts, Kuleba said he would have extensive and detailed negotiations to look for common ground in the pursuit of peace in Ukraine.

“We need to move to a just and stable peace,” he said, according to a translation posted by Euromaiden Press, an English-language news site on Ukraine. “China can play a significant role in this. Let’s go.”

Kuleba arrived in China on Tuesday and is scheduled to depart on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said