Ever since President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 race, Russia says it’s open to peace talks with Ukraine in a significant change of events.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Chinese Communist Party diplomats in Beijing that the country is willing to negotiate with Russia despite heavy opposition from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The negotiations should be rational and substantive, aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace," the Chinese foreign ministry said. “I emphasized that Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace, not just an illusion of peace, and I appreciate that this position was reciprocated.”
For two years, Zelensky has refused even to consider a peace agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin until Russian soldiers are no longer present in Ukraine, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
According to Global Times, Russia's change of heart came after Biden exited the presidential race, suggesting new leadership in the U.S. may have impacted the decision.
Chinese diplomats warned that the country would likely be abandoned if Ukraine continued to rely solely on the United States for military aid as it had in the past under Biden.
Euro News suggested that Zelenskyy has been a "puppet of the West,” alleging that decisions regarding its war with Russia were made by politicians in Washington— not in Kyiv.
This comes after former President Donald Trump plans to halt U.S. funding to Ukraine unless it enters peace talks.
“The fact that Donald Trump stated that he will immediately resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict if he takes office worries Kyiv,” the Global Times reported.
However, Zelensky has dismissed concerns about the likelihood of Trump returning to the White House, saying that if “Trump becomes president, we will work… I am not afraid of that.”
Kuleba said that he and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi “agreed that all forces must work together to find common ground on the path to restoring true peace in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.”
The Ukrainian state outlet, Ukrinform, echoed similar remarks, confirming that the country is ready to participate in peace talks with Russia.