Recently, global attention has once again focused on the protracted conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
According to the latest reports, Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba personally went to China for 4 days and had an in-depth meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, which was the first time that Ukraine sent a senior official to visit China since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This move is very important, what kind of calculation is hidden behind it? Listen to me one by one.
First of all, Kuleba's visit was not a purely courtesy visit. Before leaving, he made it clear that Ukraine needs a "genuine peace that is just and sustainable," and that he believes China has a key role to play in this.
I have to say that Kuleba's expectations are quite high, after all, Zelensky has also begun to call for a solution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible, and he does not even rule out the possibility of negotiations with Putin.
Moreover, at the opportune time when the Palestinian factions reached a consensus in Beijing to sign the "Beijing Declaration" and decided to end division and strengthen unity, Ukraine naturally hopes to make a breakthrough in this meeting with the help of China's mediation wisdom.
However, the reality is often harsh. However, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi calmly poured cold water on Ukraine, saying that the current situation is complicated, and the timing and conditions for negotiations are not yet ripe.
Although the fact that the talks went from an overtime of three hours to a longer period shows that the discussions between the two sides were very deep, it is clear that the results are still far from what they expected.
Zelensky spoke amazingly in his daily video speech! He mentioned the significance of Kuleba's visit to China, saying bluntly that it is a clear signal of China's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while also reiterating China's commitment to him that China will not provide weapons to Russia.
This statement has calmed some speculation to a certain extent, because since Russia launched its military operation, China has declared its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, but has not condemned Russia, which has made Zelensky have many criticisms of China's position.
And as Zelensky relented and no longer ruled out peace talks with Putin, the international community's expectations for the restoration of peace rose sharply.
The UN Security Council held a meeting on this to discuss the flow of weapons from other countries into the battlefield in Ukraine. Everyone knows that the United States and Western countries have been providing weapons assistance behind the scenes, adding fuel to the fire.
Wood, the deputy permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, even tried to pour dirty water on China at the meeting, and he deliberately misinterpreted some normal trade between China and Russia as "support" for the war against Russia.
However, to be honest, China can stand on its feet, and it is not afraid of crooked shadows.
Ambassador Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, made this point in his speech, quoting Kuleba's remarks during his visit to China, reiterating that Ukraine attaches importance to China's views and is willing to prepare for dialogue and negotiation with Russia, thus responding to the US smear with facts.
Fu Cong specifically mentioned that the slander and smear against China in the US statement are an attempt to create a false narrative to mislead the international community, which China will never accept.
He stressed that the crisis in Ukraine has caused ordinary people to suffer. The continued introduction of weapons into the battlefield will only make the situation worse, make the war more brutal and unpredictable, lead to more innocent casualties, and have a wide-ranging adverse impact on regional peace and stability.
Fu Cong pointed out that the most important thing at present is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible and promote a political settlement, which is in the interests of all parties. He mentioned that both sides have expressed their willingness to negotiate and that the international community should create favourable conditions for them to facilitate the peace process.
China's position on the Ukraine issue has always been the same, that is, to persuade and promote peace talks and resolve the crisis through political means.
China will not be a crisis-maker, let alone provide lethal weaponry to any party to the conflict, nor will it profit from it. Such a straightforward statement reflects China's firm position on the Ukraine issue.
So, against this backdrop, why does Foreign Minister Wang Yi think the time is not ripe?
This is to see clearly where the demands of Russia and Ukraine diverge. Ukraine wants Russia to withdraw its troops and return the occupied territories, while Russia demands that Ukraine remain permanently neutral and recognize the results of the referendums of the four oblasts to join the Russian Federation. The positions of the two sides can be said to be polar opposites.
As an objectively neutral power, China is well aware that peace cannot be achieved by the words of one family alone, and that it needs to find a balance between the demands of both sides. In addition, the political game between the United States and Western countries behind the scenes has directly led to the inability to bypass the United States relevant negotiations, and the purpose of the United States to manipulate the Ukraine issue and disrupt the geopolitical situation has obviously not changed.
This is also one of the reasons why Foreign Minister Wang Yi reminded the Ukrainian side of the need to eliminate external interference and resolutely solve the problem.
But why does China insist on promoting peace?
In addition to strategic considerations, there are also potential opportunities for the future. It is rumored that in the November United States election, if Trump, the Republican candidate who advocates ending the conflict, comes to power, then the hope of resolving the Ukraine problem may come.
China is paving the way for this in advance, hoping that when the right time comes, it can truly dispel the shadow of war hanging over Ukraine.
The conclusion is that China's position and actions are not only well-founded, but also far-sighted. Although the time is not yet ripe for negotiations, China is working hard to create conditions through concrete actions and looks forward to all parties working in the same direction to jointly promote the peace talks.
Therefore, this international drama continues, and it will be up to China to take it step by step, not to be impatient, and to wait for the best opportunity to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.