Ukraine urges China to play ‘critical’ role for peace as war enters fifth year

Kyiv’s top envoy to Beijing has called on China to play its “important” and “critical” role to help end the war in Ukraine, which is now stretching into a fifth year. “We are working with all international partners to bring a sustainable and lasting peace, and we believe that our host country, China, is uniquely positioned to play an important and in many ways critical role in this process,” Olexander Nechytaylo, Ukrainian ambassador to China, told foreign diplomats in the Chinese capital on Tuesday. “So my message here today: let’s not waste the chance for peace, [and] let’s walk this last mile together.” The remarks were made at the Ukrainian embassy in Beijing on Tuesday at an event to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Speaking at the same event, Jorge Toledo, the European Union’s top envoy in China, called the war “an existential watershed moment” for Europe that had become a core part of Brussels’ relations with China. “The European Union has joined Ukraine in this call for an immediate ceasefire,” Toledo told his fellow ambassadors. “Much as we differ from the Chinese positions over the Russian aggression on Ukraine, now we can find common ground in our call for this ceasefire and for the respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty for which China has been calling since the start of the war.” He urged Beijing to join efforts to return peace to Ukraine. “Let us use this common ground to work together for a just and lasting peace and for the respect of international law,” he said. He added that China bore “special responsibility” as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, which is expected to hold a special meeting on Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary and push for an end to the war. Still, hope for an immediate peace remains dim. The EU failed to agree on new sanctions against Russia and a €90 billion (US$106 billion) loan for Ukraine after a veto by Hungary – a move top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas called “regrettable”. Beijing has not condemned Moscow’s actions and has said it neither created the war nor was a party to it. However, its bilateral ties with Russia have strengthened significantly since 2022, deepening fractures between China and the West, particularly the European Union. The war in Ukraine is expected to be on the agenda of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz when he starts his visit to China on Wednesday. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday that the war “is not and should not be an issue between China and Europe”. In a lengthy post on Chinese social media on Monday, Nechytaylo, who assumed his post in May, extended the calls for peace. “Ukraine, like China, advocates for a diplomatic resolution to the war,” Nechytaylo wrote. “However, for diplomacy to be possible, aggression must be defeated,” he added in the post published on a Ukrainian embassy social media account. Adopting Beijing’s diplomatic language, the senior diplomat said that in a world that increasingly championed a “community with a shared future for mankind” – a core tenet of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global vision – force could not be allowed to prevail over law. “As a responsible global power, China possesses unique influence and can play a role in pushing for the end of this war,” Nechytaylo wrote, adding that it was “particularly important” now to unite efforts for peace. Addressing a Chinese audience, he said the war was “not merely a regional conflict” but a matter concerning “the principles of national sovereignty, the stability of the international system and the future direction of the world”. The post came as Beijing and Kyiv showed signs of working to improve bilateral ties. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker said that “China could call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow”. He added that the conflict was “completely enabled by China”. When asked about the remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian dismissed the accusations as “nothing but groundless”. During a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich conference on February 12, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha that Beijing was ready to maintain communication to play a “constructive role” in an early political settlement. Beijing recently sent additional humanitarian energy aid, including power generators and transformers, to blackout-plagued Ukraine. It was Beijing’s biggest aid package to Ukraine since the war started. After the meeting in Munich, Sybiha expressed gratitude for Beijing’s humanitarian aid and reportedly invited Wang to visit Ukraine. Niu Xianzhong, a researcher with the Central Party School in Beijing, said in a note on Friday that recent diplomatic interactions showed that China-Ukraine relations were getting “warmer”. He added that Kyiv might be adopting a “hedging” strategy amid uncertainties over US aid. “The core objective is to reduce reliance on a single channel of assistance and increase strategic options by expanding ties with the Global South, particularly China,” Niu wrote, describing economic links between the two countries as “deep”.

Ukraine urges China to play ‘critical’ role for peace as war enters fifth year

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Top Ukrainian envoy urges Beijing to ‘walk this last mile together’ on anniversary of Russia’s invasion

Top Ukrainian envoy urges Beijing to ‘walk this last mile together’ on anniversary of Russia’s invasion