Can China bring peace to Ukraine?
Chinese special envoy Li Hui has spent two days in Kyiv exploring the possibilities for a negotiated peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. European commentators debate the chances of success and China's motives.
No sign of willingness to negotiate
We shouldn't be too optimistic, journalist Volodymyr Sidorenko writes in Ukrinform:
“As far as mediation goes, it's worth noting once again the differences between the cases of Iran and Saudi Arabia and the Russian-Ukrainian war. ... According to experts, Tehran and Riyadh had reached an agreement in principle to end their enmity much earlier, and were simply looking for an opportunity to go one step further. The desire was there on both sides, and China then put it on paper. With Russia's aggression, the opposite is the case. There is not the slightest indication of an intention to negotiate. Kyiv categorically refuses to talk to Moscow about anything as long as war criminal Putin is sitting in the president's chair.”
Seeking maximum benefits
China wants more than just to be seen as Putin's ally, Polityka comments:
“Its goal is to shake off the image of ally of the president of the Russian aggressor and participate actively and as a possible mediator in the process of ending the conflict. Provided it doesn't scare off Ukraine, the idea could be to help in the eventual reconstruction on the Dnieper, which could prove lucrative for infrastructure companies. And finally, China does not want to miss the opportunity to further weaken the West. And to that end, talks on settling one of the most significant wars of recent decades are a good start.”