Ukrainian FM to visit China

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is scheduled to visit China from Tuesday to Friday, with analysts saying that this shows Ukraine is increasingly realizing that China plays not only a constructive but also a significant role in helping conflicting parties in the Ukraine crisis seek a chance for political settlement. More importantly, this proves that the so-called accusation of being a "decisive enabler" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict made by the U.S. against China has not even been accepted by Kiev.

At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Kuleba will visit China from July 23 to 26, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Monday.

On the same day, the Ukrainian embassy in China released a video speech by the Ukrainian top diplomat specifically for the Chinese people on its official account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese X-like social media platform. Kuleba said in the video that "this will be the first bilateral visit to your country (China) in my capacity as foreign minister. We will discuss important matters, such as restoration of peace, deepening our bilateral dialogue, expanding trade and economic cooperation."

Kuleba said, "We have a lot to achieve, if we work together."

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Monday that the visit shows that after more than two years of conflict, the decision-makers in Ukraine have recognized more clearly that the crisis must be resolved through political and diplomatic measures, and China is a major power with a stance of fairness and justice, has significant influence and always plays a constructive role.

More and more people in Ukraine, and even in the Western world, are starting to realize that the weapons the U.S. and its allies are providing to Ukraine will only prolong the conflict and the bloodshed, but won't bring any hope of peace, Li said. "After a series of bitter lessons, more and more people in Ukraine will be able to calmly and seriously consider China's proposal for peace," he noted.

On Sunday local time, U.S. President Joe Biden announced his decision to exit the presidential election, with some observers saying that all relevant parties in the Ukraine crisis have the same feeling - the U.S. is going to undergo a major change in its stance over the Ukraine crisis. As a result, they will take action to be prepared as soon as possible, and this has provided some hope for peace.

After his private meeting with former U.S. president Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Trump will quickly demand peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if he wins November's U.S. presidential election and has developed "well-founded plans" for doing so, the Financial Times reported on July 17. Before his trip to the U.S., Orban also visited Kiev, Moscow and Beijing.

Allies are very concerned about the uncertainty in the U.S., and seeking diplomatic support and cooperation from a major power that can offer certain and responsible support for peace, such as China, will be increasingly important for Ukraine to find a way out from the endless war, to mediate their complicated problems with Russia, and even rid themselves of the control and manipulation from external powers over its own security issues, experts said.

However, before the U.S. presidential election, the Biden administration and some of its allies in the West will still be able to have more impact on the Ukraine crisis. The conflict has also brought a huge amount of business to the military industrial complex in the U.S., so hopes for peace remain fragile, and requires endless efforts by all parties, analysts noted.