Chinese special envoy to visit Ukraine and Russia among other countries
Mike Brest
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China’s special envoy on Eurasian affairs will visit Ukraine, Russia, and several others during a trip next week to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Li Hui, who has served in this position since 2019 but spent 10 years as ambassador to Russia, will also visit France, Germany, and Poland to “have communications on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a briefing on Friday.
Beijing has repeatedly sought to portray itself as a neutral arbiter looking to play the role of peacemaker despite not condemning the war and pushing Russia’s account of the war. China has also considered providing lethal aid to Russia for use in the war, according to the Biden administration, though officials maintain they have not seen this take place yet.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was not a scheduled meeting between Li and Russian President Vladimir Putin yet, though he noted, “It will all be worked out through the diplomatic departments,” according to Russian state media Tass.
Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are close allies that increasingly find themselves aligned together and in opposition to the West, though Beijing continues to push for peace in the war through its 12-point peace plan.
Xi traveled to Moscow in late March to meet with the Russian leader, and the two of them reiterated their support for one another.
Putin said at the time that he supports “many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China,” which includes a ceasefire that would freeze the current battlefield positions in place, effectively solidifying Russia’s gains on the battlefield, which U.S. officials have said would provide Russian forces the opportunity to resupply and redeploy for future offensives.
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Ukrainian leaders have said any deal that includes territorial compromises is a non-starter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Xi at the end of April in a call that he described as “long and meaningful.” In the call, Xi said he wouldn’t add “fuel to the fire,” possibly signaling that it won’t provide weapons to Moscow.