Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kouleba on Friday, September 23, assuring him that Beijing called for respecting "
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries
", Chinese state media reported on Friday.
The two men spoke on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York, their first public meeting since the start of the Russian military intervention in late February.
This interview, which could annoy the Kremlin, comes at a time when referendums on annexation by Russia began on Friday in regions of Ukraine controlled in whole or in part by Moscow.
'Legitimate concerns'
These polls, described as "
simulacra
" by Kiev and the West, mark an escalation of the conflict.
“
President Xi Jinping stressed that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected
,” Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart on Friday.
"
The legitimate security concerns of all parties must be taken seriously
," Wang Yi also said, in reference to Russian concerns over NATO expansion.
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The men had previously spoken on the phone but had not met since February.
A sign that Beijing seems to want to balance its position more, officially neutral but sometimes considered too conciliatory with Moscow by Westerners.
Wang Yi had already met this week in New York with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity”
“
China has always been committed to promoting peace talks, never standing idly by, adding fuel to the flames or taking advantage of the situation for personal gain
,” Wang Yi told his audience on Friday. counterpart.
After the meeting, Dmytro Kouleba's Twitter account posted a photo of a handshake between the two men, against a backdrop of Chinese and Ukrainian flags.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: China tries to appease exasperated Europeans
"
My counterpart reaffirmed China's respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its rejection of the use of force as a means of resolving disputes
," he tweeted.
China and Russia have grown closer in recent years, intensifying their relationship to counterbalance the United States.
Beijing has refused to publicly condemn Russia's military intervention in Ukraine and criticized Western sanctions, but this week reiterated its call for a "
ceasefire
" in Ukraine.
