On November 26, a public online discussion was held by the Veza Center for Civic Energy, bringing together leading Ukrainian analysts. Valeriy Klochok and Artur Kharetonov, president of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine, reviewed insights from the Kyiv event "Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific" and examined the broader context of China’s influence on global politics and the ongoing talks to end the Russia–Ukraine war.
Key points included the rising regional significance of the Indo-Pacific, China's growing role in shaping future geopolitical balances, and the linkage among US-Russia-China negotiations. Artur Kharetonov noted that Ukraine’s security future is tied not only to the Euro-Atlantic axis but also to dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region. The event aimed to increase understanding of the political, economic, and security complexities in the Indo-Pacific, and analyze how China influences diplomacy around the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
Speakers highlighted China’s expanding influence over Russia and that no current talks regarding Ukraine can proceed without factoring in ‘the China dimension.’ Experts emphasized the provisional nature of US-China trade concessions and reciprocal moves related to rare earth metals.
The discussion also addressed China’s Taiwan stance, its balancing of global interests, as well as Europe’s role in the context of security guarantees. It was noted that, without active participation of European countries, an effective peace deal is unlikely, and stable economic ties with China are important for Europe’s interests.
In conclusion, it was underscored that decision-making on the war is heavily shaped by complex geopolitics among China, the US, Russia, and Europe, leaving the ultimate outcome open to many scenarios. The experts called for deeper understanding of political, economic, and security interrelations in the Indo-Pacific as part of shaping Ukraine’s foreign policy.
