A top Chinese envoy will begin his tour of Ukraine and four other nations in Kyiv on Tuesday, in a trip designed to bolster President Xi Jinping’s credentials as a global peacemaker.
(Bloomberg) — A top Chinese envoy will begin his tour of Ukraine and four other nations in Kyiv on Tuesday, in a trip designed to bolster President Xi Jinping’s credentials as a global peacemaker.
Ambassador Li Hui, special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian Affairs, will visit the capital on Tuesday and Wednesday, a Ukrainian official told AFP and Reuters on Monday. It’s not clear whether Li will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Li’s arrival comes as Russia intensifies its war efforts in the Ukrainian capital. Air raid sirens were triggered across Ukraine early Tuesday and multiple explosions were heard in Kyiv, marking the eighth Russian attack on the capital this month.
The former ambassador to Moscow, who is fluent in Russian, will also visit Poland, France, Germany and Russia, although China’s Foreign Ministry has not confirmed the trip’s itinerary or length. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not yet on the schedule,” according to state news agency Tass.
Xi announced China would send an envoy to Ukraine last month, during his first call with Zelenskiy since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. The Chinese leader has come under pressure from Western powers for failing to condemn Putin’s war.
READ: China Cease-Fire Proposal for Ukraine Falls Flat With US, Allies
It’s unclear how much progress Li can make. Kyiv dismissed China’s suggestion earlier this year of a cease-fire, as it would freeze Russian troops in place on Ukrainian territory. Backing a solution more amenable to Zelenskiy would risk alienating Putin, who Xi declared a “no limits” friendship with on the eve of Russia’s invasion.
“It is not possible to reach any settlement with only one round of shuttle diplomacy. This is merely the beginning,” said Wang Yiwei, a Renmin University professor who specializes in Europe studies.
“Li’s visit itself is already a breakthrough as it rejects the claims that China is supporting Russia’s war,” he added. “It’ll help to put China-Europe relations back on a right track.”
Zelenskiy has been on his own European tour in recent days. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday “opened the door” for Ukrainian fighter pilots to be trained in France, while the next day, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak backed the idea of a coalition to provide Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets.
The Ukrainian leader also met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who announced the country’s biggest package yet for Ukraine’s armed forces.
–With assistance from Lucille Liu.
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