The Chinese Prime Minister reaffirmed Beijing's neutral position on hostilities
Meet at the 60th Munich Security Conference. The Chinese Foreign Minister told his Ukrainian counterpart that Beijing remains neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and will not turn to any side
The talks were the first high-level meeting between Beijing and Kyiv since Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a meeting with the Chinese prime minister at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January – a request that was reportedly rejected.
According to a statement, the Chinese foreign minister told Kuleba that China would not "add fuel to the fire", would not seek to profit from the fighting, and would not be "lethal in a conflict zone" and added: "China will not give up its efforts even if there is only a glimmer of hope for peace." ”
In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies, which Washington accused of aiding the Russian military. China has refuted the U.S. claim that it is considering arming Russia. Ukraine has long sought China's support for Zelenskyy's ten-point peace plan, which was dismissed by Russian spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, calling it "a meaningless ultimatum to Russia aimed at prolonging hostilities." The plan includes the restoration of Ukraine's borders in 1991.
Since the conflict erupted in February 2022, China has been calling for a political solution and last year put forward its own peace plan, calling for a ceasefire and negotiations. Russia** Putin said that China's peace initiative could serve as a basis for resolving the Ukrainian issue.
Beijing has resisted Western pressure to impose sanctions on Moscow, while strengthening economic cooperation with Russia. According to Chinese customs data, the bilateral ** increased by 26 percent last year6%, reaching a record $240 billion.