Presidential office on Ukraine's challenging communication with China
Photo: Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Communication between Ukraine and China is challenging, but Kyiv is working on improving relations, as well as organizing a meeting between the presidents of the two countries, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Xi Jinping, according to Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine in an interview with Natalia Moseichuk.
As the Head of the Office of the President noted, there were "two very good conversations" between the Ukrainian and Chinese leaders.
'We are working on these relations. They are significant," emphasized Yermak.
Commenting on China's absence from the peace summits on Ukraine in Jeddah and Malta, the official noted that Beijing participates in such negotiations at the ambassadorial level.
"This time they sent an official letter that they won't be able to participate," he said.
Yermak also expressed the opinion that the Chinese side will participate in similar meetings in the future.
"Once again, communication is not easy. Unfortunately, in the past, many things happened that led to the current state of relations. We are working to make them better. China is a major player today, but there are many arguments that are very compelling for our relations to become much better. I think in the near future, we will see a very positive trend," said the official.
Such progress is possible, including after the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and the leader of the PRC, according to Yermak.
Yermak clarified that the head of state has tasked the team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President to "do everything necessary" so that Zelenskyy has personal meetings with the leaders of the so-called Global South, which includes India, China, Brazil, in the near future.
China's position on the war between Russia and Ukraine
The Chinese government officially claims to maintain a neutral position regarding the large-scale war between Russia and Ukraine. Previously, Beijing was also suspected of supplying weapons to Russia. However, China denies this information.
At the same time, the Pentagon recently released a report proving that Russia is massively purchasing drones, small arms, and protective gear from China.
It is worth noting that China expressed a desire to be a peacemaker and offered its peaceful plan for Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian authorities criticized it.
Earlier in October, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov rejects the ceasefire possibility in Ukraine through China's intermediation.
Learn more about the significance of the talks between the presidents of the United States and China, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, and what to expect for Ukraine - read in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
