Ukraine war: Beijing assures Kyiv that China supports peace talks
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks with Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba for a second time since the Russian invasion
- The call, which includes Beijing’s thanks for keeping Chinese civilians safe, comes as international outrage grows over possible Russian war crimes in Bucha
In their second phone call since Russia invaded Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Monday that Beijing continues to support peace talks and aims to play a constructive role.
According to a Chinese readout of the call, Wang said that Ukraine has “enough wisdom to make its own choices” regarding the conflict, without elaborating what that meant.
Wang also reiterated Beijing’s gratitude to Ukraine for keeping Chinese civilians safe, and expressed hopes for Ukraine’s development, European peace and cooperation between China and the European Union.
The call took place amid growing international outrage against Russia as evidence mounts of potential war crimes committed in Ukraine, including footage over the weekend of dead civilians scattered across the streets of the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.
US President Joe Biden urged an international criminal investigation be launched into Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Russian troops accused of war crimes after mass graves found in Bucha near Ukrainian capital
“This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone’s seen it,” Biden said on Monday, a day after video and still images revealed the town’s streets littered with dead bodies.
“I think it is a war crime. … He should be held accountable.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went even further, calling the brutal acts “genocide” and saying it was difficult to talk peace with Russia after seeing the bodies.
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Ukraine is not a member of the EU but has applied for inclusion.
Brussels warned Beijing against interfering with its sanctions against Russia or providing military assistance to Putin. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added that “equidistance is not enough; that active engagement for peace is important and that each player should play its role”.
China characterises its position on the war as neutral.
Chinese officials and state media, though, have reiterated Russian claims about the war and argue that the “West” – the US and other Nato members – are at fault for the conflict, citing Nato expansion.
And in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, Wang stressed Beijing’s commitment to its strong ties with Moscow.
In recent days, Russian forces have reportedly abandoned their attempt to take Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and are refocusing their efforts on the “complete liberation” of the eastern Donbas region. The bodies in Bucha were found after Russian forces had left the area.
Moscow cast the withdrawal as a good-faith gesture of de-escalation.
However, Russian forces continued bombing areas around Kyiv, and Ukrainian and Western officials think this may just be a regrouping and resupplying of troops.
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According to US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, a team of international experts (including Americans) in the region but outside Ukraine are supporting the prosecutor general of Ukraine’s investigation into Russia’s alleged war crimes.
Washington is also providing funding for NGOs and US grantees to document and analyse the atrocities.
And the US will seek a vote this week to expel Russia from the UN’s Human Rights Council.
“Russia’s participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
“And it is wrong, which is why we believe it is time the UN General Assembly vote to remove them.”
