China, once again, sending special envoy to Russia, Ukraine for talks

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning speaks at a press conference. She announced that China's special envoy for Eurasia, Li Hui, would travel to Russia, Brussels, Germany and Ukraine for talks on Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine in order to push forward talks to find a political solution. Johannes Neudecker/dpa
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning speaks at a press conference. She announced that China's special envoy for Eurasia, Li Hui, would travel to Russia, Brussels, Germany and Ukraine for talks on Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine in order to push forward talks to find a political solution. Johannes Neudecker/dpa

In an effort to end the war in Ukraine, China is once again sending a high-ranking diplomat, Li Hui, the special envoy for Eurasia, to Russia, Ukraine and major European capitals.

His is set to travel to Ukraine, Russia, and to meet with EU representatives in Brussels beginning on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing announced on Wednesday.

Li is also planning to visit Poland, France, and Germany.

"Over the past two years, we have never given up our peace efforts and never stopped advocating for dialogue," said the spokesperson for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning.

The upcoming trip is described as "the second round of shuttle diplomacy to promote a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis."

Li first travelled to Ukraine last May and also held talks in Moscow, but without visible progress.

Previously, in February 2023, China presented a position paper on the war in Ukraine, calling for respect for sovereignty, a ceasefire, and the resumption of peace negotiations.

Since the start of the conflict two years ago, Beijing has repeatedly emphasized its efforts to engage in negotiations.

But critics accuse China of actually supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin.