This Monday, the Chinese government affirmed that the visit of Li Hui, its special envoy to Europe for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, had a positive result to confirm the role that Xi Jinping’s government is now playing in the board of peace talks between the two countries. Since the anniversary of the invasion of Ukrainian soil, the Chinese have been willing to find a solution to the geopolitical and ideological differences that sparked the conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting in Moscow with China’s special envoy, but as part of Li Hui’s talks, the Russians and the Ukrainians made several points clear, such as Kiev’s that Russia must withdraw from the occupied territories with their troops to comply with the ceasefire.
From the very beginning, Russia has denied leaving seized territories like Crimea and Donbas that are historically considered Russian territories. “Envoy Li Hui released China’s position and suggestions to unblock the crisis in Ukraine during his tour of Europe. All parties spoke highly of the visit,” said Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning.
The spokeswoman denied that Li Hui proposed that Russia keep the Ukrainian territories already occupied by its troops in Ukraine. This was information published by The Wall Street Journal, stating that a source close to Beijing had said that, and Mao Ning insisted that he has always maintained an objective position with regard to the conflict between the two countries.
The head of Russian diplomacy reiterated, at the last stop of Hui Li’s round of international consultations, that the conflict must end with a political-diplomatic solution. “Lavrov expressed his gratitude to the Chinese side for his balanced stance on the Ukrainian crisis and highly appreciated Beijing’s willingness to play a positive role in its settlement,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
With information from EFE
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