China Demands Russia and Ukraine Resume Negotiations

China's permanent UN representative Sun Lei urgently called on Russia and Ukraine to return to the negotiating table during a UN Security Council session. The statement came immediately after Aleksandr Lukashenko's visit to Beijing, which followed his informal meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. On the same day, 23-year-old woman was killed and 12 people injured in a Russian air raid on Kharkiv.

China's permanent UN representative Sun Lei presented a formal demand on 29 June at a UN Security Council session that Russia and Ukraine end the war through negotiations. The statement came immediately after Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko's visit to Beijing.

Beijing's Call

"We urgently call for ending the conflict as soon as possible. We urgently call for resuming negotiations, demonstrating genuine political will, and doing everything to eliminate the root causes of this conflict through full and unconditional adherence to the UN Charter, in order to reach a final, realistic and binding ceasefire," Sun told the UN Security Council session.

China's representative emphasized separately that "the conflict has already spread to civilian spaces" and because of this "innocent residents are suffering". He called on both parties to refrain from attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Lukashenko's Role as Intermediary

China's statement came after Lukashenko's visit to Beijing, which was preceded by his two days of informal meetings with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Kremlin's press service confirmed that Ukraine was one of the discussion topics, but denied that Lukashenko was playing an informal mediator role. Immediately before traveling to Moscow, Lukashenko received a Ukrainian delegation in Minsk.

China has emphasized its neutral position since the start of the war. However, Ukraine and Western countries have criticized Beijing for continuing trade relations with Russia, including the sale of dual-use goods, and for not joining Western sanctions. Kyiv and its allies are convinced that Russia's economy would not be able to sustain the war for so long without continued Chinese cooperation.

Kallas Accuses China of Training Russian Forces

In mid-June, the EU's top foreign policy representative Kaja Kallas accused China of training Russian soldiers for combat in Ukraine. Kallas did not provide details; a few weeks earlier, news agency Reuters had reported that approximately 200 Russian military personnel had undergone secret training in China. Beijing categorically rejected Kallas's accusations.

Kharkiv Attack

On the same day, 29 June, Russian forces struck Kharkiv with precision munitions. The attack killed a 23-year-old woman and injured 12 people.

Putin has meanwhile publicly acknowledged that Ukraine proposed ending mutual attacks on cities: Kyiv would have refrained from long-range strikes if Moscow had done the same. Putin rejected this proposal, arguing that in his assessment Kyiv suffers more from such attacks than Russia does.