By Olena Harmash
KYIV, July 10 (Reuters) - China could play a decisive role in pressuring Russia towards peace talks, helping end its war in Ukraine, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Friday, adding that the next several months would present a window for a diplomatic solution.
Graham, a frequent visitor to wartime Ukraine, met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv. They discussed Ukraine's urgent air defence needs and the Russian sanctions bill, Zelenskiy said.
Graham said that bolstering Ukraine's
military capabilities and aligning sanctions with a diplomatic push could force Moscow into talks.
"The road to ending this war, the road to peace, passes through Beijing more than it does (through) Washington, Kyiv, or Moscow. China has an oversized influence. I'd like them to use their influence for the good of the world," Graham told reporters at Mykhailivska Square in the heart of Kyiv.
"I don't believe (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is there yet, but it wouldn't take much to get him there. And the sooner we can have a dialogue about peace, the quicker this war is over."
China and Russia declared a "no limits" strategic partnership days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been trying to help find a diplomatic solution to end the war but despite months of efforts, no tangible results have been achieved.
Fighting rages along more than 1,200 km (745-miles) of the front line. Russia rains missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities far from the front line. The U.N. said that June became one of the deadliest months of the war as Russian strikes killed at least 265 civilians in Ukraine.
Kyiv has intensified its drone attacks inside Russia, hitting its oil facilities and weapons production to undermine Moscow's economic ability to press on with its war.
Zelenskiy, who met Trump earlier this week during the NATO summit in Ankara, said that he discussed China's role in ending the war with the U.S. president and some European leaders.
Graham also said that Trump's team was now on board with the Russia sanctions bill that has been in the works for months. The legislation is meant to cut off the source of financing for much of Russia’s military operations.
"We have a magic moment in time here," Graham said. "In the coming months, if we do this right, increase Ukraine's lethality, get people to help us with Putin rather than propping him up, we can end this war."
(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
