China backs Donald Trump’s bid to end Ukraine war as Europe rallies behind Zelenskyy at G20
China has backed Donald Trump’s bid to negotiate a peace deal with Russia over the war in Ukraine, the country’s foreign minister has announced.
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Speaking at the G20 summit in South Africa on Thursday, Wang Yi told the media that China "supports" US-Russia negotiations, adding it will "continue playing a constructive role" in talks.
It comes as Donald Trump denounced President Zelenskiy as a "dictator" on Wednesday, before the US cancelled a joint press conference.
The comments prompted a tit-for-tat exchange between the US and Ukraine, with Europe coming out in support for the Ukrainian president - including from G20 members including Germany and the United Kingdom.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Yi said: “China supports all efforts conducive to peace (in Ukraine), including the recent consensus reached between the United States and Russia.
“China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in the political resolution of the crisis."
China has long been aligned with Russia on a host of matters - most notably, trading, which saw relations between the two hit a record high in 2024.
Mr Yin's comments follow a meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia last week - a meeting that failed to provide Ukraine with a seat at the table.
Read more: US cancels joint conference with Zelenskyy as crisis deepens after Trump 'dictator' comments
EU and world leaders will now head to Kyiv on Monday in a strong show of support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy.
It marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with figures including to Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, travelling to the country.
Discussions between the countries have raised fears any truce would likely favour Moscow.
It comes as Zelenskyy continues to insist that Ukraine will not agree to a peace deal unless they have a hand in ceasefire negotiations.
The Prime Minister showed support for the "democratically elected" President of Ukraine this week following Trump's comments.
The US president took aim at Zelenskyy after he accused Trump of "helping Putin to come out of isolation" by working with him.
On Wednesday evening, Number Ten released a statement expressing Starmer's support for the Ukrainian leader following a phone call.
In the call, the Prime Minister said it was "perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War Two", according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy this evening and stressed the need for everyone to work together.“
The Prime Minister expressed his support for President Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War II.