China’s Ukraine peace envoy to make second visit to Europe and Russia to promote talks

Name: Ukraine war two years on: disease, displacement and demands for aid
Uploaded: 2024-02-28T11:09:07.000Z
Duration: 9 min 43 s
Description: Ukraine war two years on: disease, displacement and demands for aid

Li Hui made his first visit to promote Beijing’s plans for a negotiated settlement last year, but later admitted it had made no immediate progress

Chinese foreign ministry says it has ‘never given up its efforts to pursue peace and has never stopped promoting talks’

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Both sides have taken heavy casualties in the past two years. EPA-EFE

Laura Zhou

Published: 7:09pm, 28 Feb 2024

China is sending its special peace envoy to Russia and Ukraine for a second peace mission after a fruitless effort last year.

Li Hui will visit Russia and Ukraine, as well as France, Germany and the European Union headquarters in Brussels to promote efforts to reach a diplomatic solution, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

“The most urgent thing at present is to restore peace,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, adding that the sooner talks opened, the more lives could be saved.

“Over the past two years China has never given up its efforts to pursue peace and has never stopped promoting talks. China has communicated deeply with all countries, including Russia and Ukraine, and played a constructive role in addressing the crisis.”

It will be Li’s second visit to the region following a visit in May last year, soon after he was appointed to head China’s peacemaking efforts.

He later admitted it had produced no immediate progress because of “a big gap between both sides’ positions”.

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Ukraine war two years on: disease, displacement and demands for aid