Meeting Foreign Minister Wang Yi Three Hours, Dmytro Kuleba Conveys Ukraine's Preparedness For Dialogue With Russia

Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. (Twitter/@SpokespersonCHN)

JAKARTA - Kyiv is open to negotiating with Russia if Moscow is ready to do so in good faith, something that evidence has not been seen so far, Ukraine's top diplomat said during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Guangzhou on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is the highest-ranking Ukrainian official to travel to China since the Russian invasion in February 2022. He held talks with Foreign Minister Wang for more than three hours, a Ukrainian source said in the delegation.

"Kuleba reiterated that (Kyiv) is ready to engage the Russian side in the negotiation process at some stage, when Russia is ready to negotiate with good faith, but stressed that no such readiness is currently being observed by the Russian side," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. a statement, reported Reuters July 24.

"The talks have just been over. The talks last for more than three hours in total, longer than planned. This is a very deep and concrete conversation," a Ukrainian source in the delegation told Reuters.

Meanwhile, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a news conference in Beijing that the two ministers had discussed the need to take a long-term look at bilateral relations and that China would "continue to expand its food imports from Ukraine".

Mao Ning said China was concerned about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and would continue to provide humanitarian assistance.

He also said Russia and Ukraine "on various levels signaled their willingness to negotiate" in the war.

"Although his condition is not yet mature, we support all efforts that support peace and are willing to continue to play a constructive role in realizing the ceasefire and the resumption of peace negotiations," he added.

Kyiv is known to be seeking to hold a second international summit later this year to advance his vision of peace after an initial meeting in Switzerland in June withdrew dozens of delegates from around the world, but no representatives from Russia or China.

Ukraine said it wanted its second summit to be hosted by "South Global" countries and Russia had to attend. Kyiv also said he wanted to see the Bamboo Curtain country play a more active role in ending the war.