“Kiev is open to negotiations with Russia if Moscow is ready to negotiate in good faith,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said today from China, where he is on an official visit.

Ukraine’s top diplomat held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in the city of Guangzhou for more than three hours, a source from the Ukrainian mission said.

“Kuleba reiterated…that (Kiev) is ready for contacts with the Russian side in the negotiation process at a certain stage, when Russia will be ready to negotiate in good faith but stressed that at the moment such readiness is not observed on the Russian side,” his ministry said in a statement.

The Kremlin’s reaction

The Kremlin said today that the message sent by Ukraine about talks with Moscow appears to be on agreement with Russia’s own positionbut that more details are needed.

“The message itself can be said to be in line with our own position,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Kuleba’s comments, adding that details needed to be clarified.

“You know that the Russian side has never refused to negotiate, it has always remained open to the negotiation process, but the details are important here, which neither you nor I know yet.”

China continues humanitarian aid to Ukraine

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the two ministers talked about the need to form a long-term picture for building bilateral relations and that China “will continue to expand food imports from Ukraine.”

Spokesperson Mao Ning added that China is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and will continue to provide humanitarian aid. He also added that the Russian and Ukrainian sides had “indicated to varying degrees their willingness to negotiate” in the war.

“Although the conditions are not yet ripe, we support all efforts conducive to peace and are willing to continue to play a constructive role in bringing about a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks,” she added.