During his visit to Beijing today, Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sibyga called on China, a close ally of Russia, to take part in the summit for peace in Ukraine, which is scheduled for mid-June in Switzerland, France Press reported, BTA reported.
„Andriy Sibiga briefed his counterpart on the situation in Ukraine and the preparations for the summit meeting,” said a statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry after the Ukrainian diplomat's meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.
„The Ukrainian side expressed hope that China's participation in this event will be a good opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,”, the statement added. At the end of May, China said it would be “difficult” to participate in the Ukraine peace summit scheduled for June 15 and 16 in Switzerland due to the absence of Russia, which was not invited.
Later, in early June, Beijing denied it had “pressured” on other countries not to participate in the meeting, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed. China claims to be neutral on the war in Ukraine, but has so far not condemned the Russian invasion. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin maintain good relations, exchange visits and emphasize their common interests in relation to the United States, according to AFP.
At the same time, Beijing regularly calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries, which implicitly includes Ukraine. Chinese officials have also insisted that Russia's security concerns be taken into account. However, Ukraine still hopes to persuade Beijing to send a representative to Switzerland, where it aims to garner broad international support, far beyond that of the West, to increase pressure on Moscow.
Russia, which was not invited, has already played down the significance of the meeting, calling it “absurd” to be held in the absence of Russian representatives. The Kremlin says it is ready for peace talks, but makes them dependent on the recognition of “territorial realities”, in other words Russia's annexation of five Ukrainian regions, AFP notes.