ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that China confirmed to Kyiv that it will not supply weapons to Russia after the top diplomats of both countries held talks earlier in the day.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, who is visiting China these days, held talks with his counterpart (Wang Yi) and gave me a report on the results of the meeting…It was also confirmed what Chinese leader Xi Jinping told me – that China will not supply weapons to Russia,” Zelenskyy said during an evening video address.

Kuleba arrived in China on a three-day official visit on Tuesday, marking his first trip to the country since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war more than two years ago. He is also the first Ukrainian foreign minister to visit China since 2012.

Noting that Kuleba’s visit to China is the first at the level of foreign minister “in many years,” Zelenskyy further said there is a “clear signal” that China supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

During his meeting with Wang in the city of Guangzhou, Kuleba told his Chinese counterpart that Ukraine is “willing and ready” to have talks with Russia, which should be “rational, substantive and aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace,” said a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

​​While Beijing has called for respect for the territorial integrity of all nations, it has not condemned Russia for its war on Ukraine.

Instead, China, in collaboration with Brazil, has proposed a three-point de-escalation formula to bring a political solution to the war.

The formula includes no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no provocation by any party.

Beijing has also said that it does not sell "lethal weapons" to any parties involved in any conflict area.