Ukraine's foreign minister told a senior Chinese ambassador in Kyiv that any ideas to end the war with Russia must not lead to territory loss or a frozen conflict.
Li Hui, a former ambassador to Russia and China's special envoy for Eurasian issues, visited Ukraine on Tuesday and met with Dmytro Kuleba, the country's foreign minister, on Wednesday, US News reported.
Since Russia's sweeping assault on Kyiv in February 2022, a top Chinese diplomat hasn't been to the Ukrainian capital until this trip.
Ukraine's foreign ministry emphasized that Kuleba briefed the Chinese representative in-depth on the fundamentals of forging a fair and lasting peace based on reverence for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
During the meeting, the Ukrainian official emphasized that it rejects any suggestions that will result in the loss of its territory or the escalation of the war. China's hesitancy to call Moscow's actions an invasion has raised questions about its legitimacy as a mediator, according to a report from Yahoo! News.
Chinese President Xi Jinping declares Beijing's neutrality and seeks to serve as a mediator in the continuing 15-month war. China has, however, backed Moscow politically.
Beijing launched a peace proposal in February, but it was mostly ignored by Ukraine's supporters, who demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin withdraw his military from the country.
Pope Francis Wants End To Ukraine War
The update came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican and requested the pope's backing for his peace initiative.
Zelensky was warmly welcomed by the pontiff on Saturday, who is well recognized for his desire to work toward putting an end to the Russia-Ukraine war that started a year ago and was then shown to a papal studio next to the audience hall at the Vatican, CNBC reported.
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the pope for the privilege of meeting him. Francis thanked the Ukrainian chief executive during their 40-minute conversation.
