Chinese envoy meets Ukrainian president

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s Eurasian affairs envoy Li Hui has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Beijing said on Thursday.

“The two sides exchanged views on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and China-Ukraine relations,” a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Li, who was picked by Chinese President Xi Jinping last month as the special envoy on Ukraine, paid a two-day visit to Kyiv until Wednesday.

The statement said Li also met with other senior Ukrainian officials, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

He also held talks with officials from Ukrainian ministries of infrastructure, energy, and defense.

Referring to China’s “position on the political solution to the Ukrainian crisis,” Li said: “There is no panacea to resolve the crisis.”

“All parties need to start from themselves, accumulate mutual trust, and create conditions for ending the war and peace talks,” Li told Ukrainian officials, the statement said.

“China is willing to promote the international community to form the greatest common denominator for resolving the Ukrainian crisis, and make its own efforts to stop the war, to cease fire, and restore peace as soon as possible,” Li added.

The Ukrainian side “welcomed China to play an active role in ending the war and restoring peace,” the statement also noted.

It said Kyiv assured the Chinese envoy of its adherence to the one-China principle.

The appointment of Li as the special envoy on Ukraine came after Xi held his first phone call with Zelenskyy last month since the Moscow-Kyiv war began in February 2022.

Besides Ukraine, Li will visit Poland, France, Germany, and Russia toward finding a solution to the Ukraine crisis.