MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Moscow welcomes Beijing’s interest in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and the second tour by Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui demonstrates that China is making every effort to promote a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told TASS.
"We hail China’s interest in and attention to issues of settling the crisis in and around Ukraine. You know, China’s proposals that were circulated in February 2023 are rather interesting and we support the majority of them," he said.
"Mr. Li Hiu’s current visit to Western Europe, as well as to Russia, shows that China is not standing still but is trying to do its best to promote peaceful settlement," he added.
According to the senior Russian diplomat, the Chinese side wants to learn Russia’s position concerning the crisis settlement "firsthand." "We shared our vision with them. In particular, we once again reiterated the inadmissibility of the so-called [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky formula, <…> all the efforts and attempts to push through this formula, which is actually an ultimatum to Russia, will be doomed to failure," Rudenko stressed.
The Chinese foreign ministry said in late February that Li Hui would begin a European shuttle diplomacy tour on March 2 and would visit Russia, the EU headquarters, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, and France in a bid to help find a solution to the Ukrainian crisis. At a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in Moscow on March 3, Li said that Beijing is ready to continue efforts to promote peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.