Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, held talks on Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, as the two countries prepare for a possible telephone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The talks between Wang and Kuleba focused on bilateral cooperation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It did not provide further details.
The talks come as Ukraine and China prepare for a possible telephone call between Zelenskiy and Xi. The Ukrainian president said he hoped to speak with Xi soon, without giving a specific date.
The call would be the first between the two leaders since Zelenskiy came to power in 2019. It would come as Ukraine is trying to increase its engagement with China, a major global economic power, and seeking to deepen ties with Beijing in areas such as trade, technology and investment.
Ukraine has also sought to expand its relations with Beijing as part of its efforts to reduce its reliance on Russia, which has annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
