Ukraine war: Polish official warns China’s peace envoy that Russian withdrawal is only solution

Polish deputy foreign minister Wojciech Gerwel tells Li Hui of ‘grave consequences’ for EU-China relations if Beijing provides military support to Russia

Envoy meets with Polish officials in Warsaw after a two-day trip to Kyiv, and will follow it with stops in Berlin, Paris, Brussels and Moscow

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Li Hui, who is overseeing Beijing’s peacemaking efforts in Ukraine, is undertaking a tour of European capitals. Photo: Weibo

Published: 11:00pm, 19 May 2023Updated: 2:46am, 20 May 2023

Peace in Ukraine can only be achieved through the withdrawal of Russian troops and return of “unlawfully seized territories”, Chinese envoy Li Hui was told in Poland on Friday.

Polish deputy foreign minister Wojciech Gerwel also warned Li of “grave consequences for the bilateral relationship between Europe and China” if Beijing provided military support to Russia.

Li, a veteran diplomat selected by Chinese President Xi Jinping to oversee Beijing’s peacemaking efforts, met Gerwel and other Polish officials in Warsaw following a two-day stint in Kyiv.

In both capitals, he was given near-identical messages, focused on the view that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace plan is the only legitimate way to end the 15-month war.

Polish deputy foreign affairs minister Wojciech Gerwel reiterated the message Li had heard in Kyiv: that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan was the only legitimate path for peace. Photo: EPA-EFE

“We support President Zelensky’s peace plan as the basis for resolving the conflict,” Gerwel said, according to a readout from the Polish foreign ministry.