Kuleba meets with Chinese FM in Munich

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the Munich Security Conference, Kuleba said on social media on Feb. 17.

The world's security and political elite have gathered in Munich for the annual conference, where President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an urgent appeal for support as Ukrainian troops withdraw from the Russian onslaught at Avdiivka.

Kuleba said he and Yi discussed Chinese-Ukrainian relations and a path towards peace.

"I met with my Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss bilateral relations, trade, and the need to restore a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," he said.

"I informed Foreign Minister Wang Yi about Ukraine’s vision for the upcoming Global Peace Summit in Switzerland."

Ukraine invited China in January to participate in the upcoming summit, aimed at building support for the Ukrainian peace formula. Switzerland has agreed to host the talks, though no date or venue has been set.

China confirmed the invitation, but has not yet committed to joining the summit.  

Previously, China participated in international talks supporting Ukraine's peace plan in August 2023. Russia was not invited to join those talks, which were held in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia.

Russia and China have strengthened their economic and political ties amid a Western push to isolate Moscow following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Ukrainian and European officials have urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war.

Kuleba said Beijing and Kyiv were committed to ongoing dialogue.

"We agreed on the need to maintain Ukraine-China contacts at all levels and continue our dialogue," he said.

Kuleba said he met with other world leaders during the conference, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel. He also signed an agreement with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani providing financial support to Ukraine's energy sector.

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The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek