KYIV: Ukraine’s foreign minister arrived in China on Tuesday for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to achieve a “fair peace” in the war with Russia and also to discuss bilateral relations, he said.
Dmytro Kuleba’s visit is the first by a high-ranking Ukrainian official since Russia’s full-scale February 2022 invasion, which China, the world’s second largest economy, has not publicly condemned.
Kuleba said he would hold “extensive, detailed, substantive negotiations” with his Chinese counterpart, but did not say when the talks would happen. He said earlier his trip would continue until Thursday.
“We must avoid competition between peace plans. It is very important that Kyiv and Beijing conduct a direct dialogue,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram, announcing his arrival in China.
Various peace initiatives have emerged in recent months ahead of a US election in November that could see the return to the White House of former president Donald Trump who has threatened to cut vital aid flows to Ukraine. The United States under President Joe Biden has been Ukraine’s biggest backer.
Kyiv is pushing to hold a second international summit later this year to advance its vision for peace after an initial gathering in Switzerland in June drew dozens of delegations from around the world but not from Russia or China.
Ukraine has said it would like its second summit to be hosted by a “Global South” country and that Russia could attend. Kyiv has also said it would like to see China play a more active role in ending the war.
China and Brazil published a joint six-point peace proposal in May, saying they supported the holding of an international peace conference that both sides in the war would recognize.
Kuleba said his trip to China, the first by a Ukrainian foreign minister since 2012, aimed to develop contacts between Chinese and Ukrainian leaders.
China declared a “no limits” partnership with Russia in 2022 days before the invasion and has helped Russia keep its economy afloat. China says its ties with Russia are built on the basis of non-alliance and do not target any third party.
Ukraine’s foreign minister arrives in China to discuss ‘fair peace’
https://arab.news/j5wm9
Ukraine’s foreign minister arrives in China to discuss ‘fair peace’
- Kuleba said he would hold “extensive, detailed, substantive negotiations” with his Chinese counterpart
- “We must avoid competition between peace plans. It is very important that Kyiv and Beijing conduct a direct dialogue,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram
Trump hopes North Carolina speech will bolster standing on US economy
- Trump works to turn around public opinion on economy
- Opinion polls show Americans have doubts
ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina: US President Donald Trump traveled to the “battleground” state of North Carolina on Friday, seeking to convince Americans that his handling of the economy is sound ahead of a midterm election year that could spell trouble for him and his ruling Republicans.
With prices increasing and unemployment up, Trump has his work cut out for him. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed just 33 percent of US adults approve of how Trump has handled the economy.
Trump is set to argue that the US economy is poised for a surge due to his policies and that any problems they are experiencing are the fault of the Democrats.
He contends that he has lowered the price of gasoline, imposed tariffs that are generating billions of dollars for the US Treasury and attracted hundreds of billions of dollars in investment pledges by foreign governments.
Republicans worry, however, that economic woes could jeopardize their chances in elections next November that will decide whether they will keep control of the House of Representatives and the Senate for the remaining two years of Trump’s term.
The speech is taking place at a 9 p.m. rally (0200 GMT Saturday) at the convention center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The city is represented by a Democrat in the House, Don Davis, who faces a tough re-election fight in 2026 after the boundaries of his congressional district were redrawn.
North Carolina is considered a “battleground” state because its statewide elections are closely contested between Democrats and Republicans. But Trump won the state in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
The North Carolina event is a stop on the way to his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he plans to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
The US president has repeatedly said that any economic pain Americans are experiencing should be blamed on policies he inherited from his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden.
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump said in a grievance-filled speech on Wednesday night that he delivered in a jarringly rapid-fire pace. Democrats have argued that Trump himself has bungled the economy, the central issue he campaigned on last year.
rump got some early holiday cheer on Thursday from the Consumer Price Index report for November. It said housing costs rose by the smallest margin in four years.
Food costs rose by the least since February. Egg prices — a subject Trump raises regularly — fell for a second month, and by the most in 20 months. The report nonetheless showed that other prices, like beef and electricity, soared.
Overall, prices rose 2.7 percent over the year prior. Asked what his message will be in North Carolina, Trump said it would be similar to his last two events, a prime-time address on Wednesday night and a visit to Pennsylvania last week.
“We’ve had tremendous success. We inherited a mess, and part of what we inherited was the worst inflation in 48 years,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “And now we’re bringing those prices down. I’ll be talking about that.”
