Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wojciech Gerwel and China’s Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, met in Warsaw on Friday at the request of the Chinese government, according to officials.
In a statement released afterwards, the Polish foreign ministry said Gerwel “recognised China's responsibility as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, and expressed the hope that China … will condemn Russia’s aggression” against Ukraine, as well as “exert pressure on Russia to return to compliance with the principles of international law.”
The statement also said that Poland was concerned by China’s declarations about "its persistent will to strengthen its bilateral relations with Russia, the aggressor state.”
Poland warns China over 'military aid to Russia'
Gerwel said Poland hopes China will "never recognize the annexation of illegally seized Ukrainian territories by Russia” and warned Li that “military aid … from China to Russia may result in grave consequences for the bilateral relationship between Europe and China.”
Ukraine has said it wants to reclaim “every inch” of its land and has ruled out making any territorial concessions to Russia as a way to end the war, the Reuters news agency reported.
Meanwhile, China in February unveiled a 12-point proposal for a political settlement of the “Ukraine crisis,” urging both sides to agree to “a gradual de-escalation” and warning against the use of nuclear weapons, according to Reuters.
'No easy solution' to situation in Ukraine: Chinese envoy
China’s Li said in Warsaw that “the situation in Ukraine is not in anyone's interest,” but added that there was “no easy solution,” the Polish foreign ministry said in its statement.
The Chinese envoy is touring European capitals this week to discuss “ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis through a political settlement,” Polish state news agency PAP reported.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Li was in Kyiv, where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, according to officials.
The envoy for Eurasian affairs is China’s most senior official to visit Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February last year, Reuters reported.
Li, a former ambassador to Moscow, is also due to visit Germany, France and Russia, the PAP news agency reported.
Friday is day 450 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, gov.pl
