China has asked Ukraine to temporarily refrain from striking Vladivostok and the Russian Far East whilst a high-level delegation from the PRC is visiting, Kyodo News reports, citing sources. According to the agency, Kyiv agreed not to attack Vladivostok during the Eastern Economic Forum, which was attended by Ding Xuexiang, Vice-Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
Briefly about the main points
- Kyodo reported on Beijing’s request for a pause in strikes directed at Vladivostok.
- The agency claims that Kyiv has agreed to the restrictions for the duration of the forum.
- On 1 September, Zelenskyy confirmed a request from an unnamed world power.
- Din Xuexiang was in Russia to attend a forum and hold bilateral talks.
- Beijing has not publicly commented on reports of a specific appeal to Kyiv.
The request was linked to the security of the Chinese delegation
Pros. version According to Kyodo, Beijing explained that its request was motivated by the need to ensure the delegation’s safety and to prevent an escalation in the region, which borders China. The agency reported that the request concerned Vladivostok and the Russian Far East.
Vladivostok is situated more than 6,500 kilometres from Ukraine. At the same time, Operation «Spider» in 2025 demonstrated the ability to strike remote Russian military targets using drones that had been delivered deep into Russia in advance.
Zelenskyy’s statement coincided with the visit of the Chinese Deputy Prime Minister
1 September Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that «another world power» had asked Ukraine to suspend its strikes in the direction of Vladivostok for a specified period. The President said that Kyiv was prepared to comply in the interests of diplomacy, without naming the country.
China has officially announced the visit Din Xuexian to Russia on 2–4 September. The Eastern Economic Forum itself took place from 1 to 4 September, and Kyodo identifies the PRC as the country Zelenskyy was referring to. The timing of the President’s statement and the Chinese official’s visit coincide.
Investment, energy and regional links were discussed in Vladivostok
China is the Russian Far East’s largest trading partner. At the forum, Ding called for closer integration of the programme to revitalise the north-eastern regions of the PRC with Russia’s strategy for the development of the Far East.
The agenda covered trade, logistics, tourism, infrastructure and investment projects. The visit also included meetings of the Sino-Russian commissions on investment and energy cooperation, as well as an energy business forum.
Diplomatic calculation and the limits of public confirmation
Zelenskyy had previously stated that, at the request of the US, Ukraine had refrained from carrying out strikes on Moscow and St Petersburg on 25–27 August, although Russia continued during that period to attacks on Ukraine. According to Kyodo, Kyiv may have agreed to the Chinese request partly because of Beijing’s potential influence in future diplomatic efforts to bring the war to an end.
China maintains close ties with Russia and has publicly called for a political settlement to the war. At the same time, as of 7 September, Beijing had neither confirmed nor denied that it had approached Kyiv specifically with a request for a pause on the route to Vladivostok.
