Ukraine told the Chinese envoy that it would not cede territory to Russia in order to achieve peace

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Chinese Special Envoy Li Hui met for talks in Kiev Photo: AFP

Foreign Office of Ukraine Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a visiting Chinese official that his government would not accept any proposal to stop the Russian invasion that involved losing territory or «freezing» the conflict.

Kuleba discussed with Special Representative Li Hui «ways to stop Russian aggression», according to in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

He also stressed «the principles of restoring a stable and just peace based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.»

Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine nor China specified how Li reacted and whether he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky .

In a separate statement, China's Foreign Ministry said China and Ukraine have agreed to continue working together.

A two-day visit to Kyiv by Mr. Li, the former Chinese ambassador to Russia, ended on Wednesday. Ukraine is the first stop on a route that includes Russia, Poland, France and Germany; A visit to Brussels has reportedly been added.

Mr. Li's trip was announced in April after Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a phone call with Mr. Zelensky, the first contact between the two heads of state since Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. 2022

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has firmly stated that no proposals to end the war, related to the loss of land or the freezing of the conflict, will be accepted. Photo: TT News Agency

China has sought to present itself as an intermediary between Ukraine and Russia, in particular after Beijing managed to restore diplomatic relations between longtime rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia after a seven-year freeze.

But doubts remain about whether China is truly as neutral as it claims, given its refusal to call Russia's actions an «invasion» or a «war.» Instead, Beijing continues to refer to what is happening as a «Ukraine crisis.»

Xi has also touted «boundless» friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the two leaders continue to communicate frequently.

In general, China said that respects the sovereignty of each country is a cop-out, as both Russia and Ukraine have very different definitions of their respective borders.

Experts stress that a peace deal will be difficult to achieve, especially given that Russia and Ukraine do not can agree on a starting point.

Russia wants Ukraine to recognize the annexation of the Crimean peninsula and regions, including Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporozhye.

However, Kiev rejected such demands and refuses to cooperate with Moscow unless it withdraws from the occupied territories.

The war in Ukraine is expected, as well as the threat from China to dominate the G7 summit in Hiroshima, which starts on Friday.