Kuleba names negotiation principles to China: No talks without Ukraine and respect for sovereignty

Ukraine can participate in the peace process if two principles are adhered to: no agreements about Ukraine without Ukraine, and full respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This was reported by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba following a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The Ukrainian official posted a corresponding video on Instagram.

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Ukraine's principles for peace

He explained to his Chinese colleague, using historical and current events as examples, that Ukraine "did not bend" to any of Vladimir Putin's ultimatums, even while under the terrible military assault of the Russian dictator.

"And Ukraine will never, never, not by an inch, bend if anyone in the world, regardless of which part of the world, tries to speak to us in the language of ultimatums. It's simply impossible. President Zelenskyy is not like that, the state of Ukraine is not like that, and most importantly, the Ukrainian people are not like that," stated the head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

Instead, Kuleba emphasized to Wang Yi two principles that must be inviolably adhered to: no agreements about Ukraine without Ukraine, and full respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Provided these two principles are respected, Ukraine can "conduct any conversations and seek any solutions," said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.

And what did China say?

The official noted that during the negotiations, China "unwaveringly reaffirmed its respect" for the principle of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Kuleba said that this fact is very important as it "removes a whole range of insinuations."

Wang Yi also agreed that what's needed is not an illusion of peace, but a just and sustainable peace, meaning "there's no need to strive for any temporary solutions," explained the head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

Additionally, the official informed his colleague about the peace formula, the Peace Summit, and Ukraine's further steps.

China did not participate in the Peace Summit, and on the eve of the event, President Zelenskyy stated that Russia was trying to disrupt the Peace Summit, with China helping it. However, even after this statement, political consultations between Ukraine and China took place in Beijing – the delegation was led by Andriy Sybiha, Kuleba's First Deputy.

FIXED. In the old version of the text, instead of the current Sybiha's position was mistakenly indicated previous one – he was the Deputy Head of the President's Office before being appointed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024.

Future EU membership and economy

"Then we talked about broader things... about Ukraine becoming an EU member – and that Ukrainian-Chinese relations should already be viewed through this lens," Kuleba noted.

According to him, there's a sense of China's inclination towards developing trade and bilateral relations – these are "huge economic opportunities."

The Ukrainian side also wants closer relations between Ukrainian oblasts and Chinese regions.

The Foreign Minister concluded that despite the broad agenda, the focus was on the issue of peace, and Ukraine continues to talk with China.

Read also: US hopes China will play productive role in ending war in Ukraine