The accounts China gave as to the responses given by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, during his July 23-24 discussions in Guangzhou with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, have caused consternation in the West. While it is unlikely China would be making up Kuleba’s comments, it is also the case that at least some of what Kuleba said may be controversial amongst entrenched groups in Kyiv, London, and Washington.
China’s Foreign Ministry yesterday described that “Ukraine … has looked closely at the six common understandings issued by China and Brazil on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.” Today, China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong said: “We note that Foreign Minister Kuleba said that Ukraine values China’s views and has carefully studied the six-point understandings proposed by China and Brazil on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis….”
What Kuleba himself posted yesterday was: “Today in China, I held detailed and thorough negotiations with my Chinese counterpart Wang Yi about the path to peace. I emphasized that Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace, not just an illusion of peace, and I appreciate that this position was reciprocated. We agreed that all forces must work together to find common ground on the path to restoring true peace in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter. We also discussed our bilateral agenda. I thanked Minister Wang Yi for his hospitality and extended an invitation to visit Ukraine.”
