Ukraine cautious on Chinese 'peace plan'

Ukraine's foreign minister expressed cautious interest Tuesday in China's ideas for a peace deal to end the war with Russia, but warned it must respect Kyiv's territorial integrity.

Speaking at a news conference in Brussels with EU and NATO leaders, Ukraine's top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba said he had met his counterpart Chinese Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference. "He shared with me key elements of the Chinese peace plan," Kuleba said. "We are looking forward to receiving the text because this is not something that you can, you know, make your conclusions on just after hearing," he added.

Ukraine has published a 10-point peace plan of its own, demanding the total withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and an international tribunal to prosecute Moscow for its aggression. Kuleba said President Volodymyr Zelensky's government believes this blueprint remains "a comprehensive, concise and efficient way forward" and is the "top priority".

But he said that, in one respect, the plan shared by the Chinese overlaps with Ukraine's. "I think there is one element that is common for Ukraine and China -- and it's not just an element, it's a cornerstone, which is the principle of territorial integrity," he said. The United States has warned, in a message echoed at Kuleba's news conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, that China may be preparing to deliver Russia weapons.

Kuleba argued that, since China values the principle of the integrity of sovereign states like Ukraine, it should do nothing to help "Russia to destroy the territorial integrity of Ukraine". At a press conference in Beijing earlier Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Beijing was "deeply concerned that the conflict is intensifying and even getting out of control". China has promised to publish its proposed "political solution" this week, in time for the first anniversary of Russia's February 24 invasion of its neighbour. China's top diplomat Wang Yi was due in Moscow later Tuesday.