China’s top diplomat Wang Yi held talks with President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials in Moscow this week, amid speculation that the two sides will discuss a Chinese plan to bring peace to Ukraine after nearly a year of war.
Moscow has denied that Wang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed a specific resolution, but both sides said they touched on political ways to end the conflict, with Russia welcoming China’s “balanced position”.
Beijing has accused the United States and the West of stoking the conflict in Ukraine, but has categorically denied backing Russia’s invasion.
What is China’s peace proposal?
China has said it will set out its position on how to resolve the Ukraine conflict through political means in an upcoming paper, which Russian state media says was published on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s “special military operation”. Will go
Wang told the Munich Security Conference last week that the document would reference the principles of the UN’s founding charter and take into account territorial integrity, sovereignty and security concerns.
Wang said on Saturday, “I suggest everyone start to think calmly, especially friends in Europe, what kind of efforts we can make to prevent this war.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a “peace speech” on the February 24 anniversary of the invasion, although analysts cast doubt on whether Beijing’s efforts to act as a peacemaker will go beyond rhetoric.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday warned China against supplying arms to Russia. “We have not seen any supply of lethal aid from China to Russia, but we have seen indications that they are considering and may be planning for it,” he told Reuters.
What has Ukraine said?
Ukraine said it looked forward to hearing China’s proposal but would need to examine it closely before reaching any conclusions, adding that President Volodymyr Zelensky had his own plans for peace.
“(Wang Yi) shared with me key elements of the Chinese peace plan,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a joint news conference Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
“Once we receive the paper, we will thoroughly examine it and come up with our conclusions,” he said.
Zelensky last year proposed his 10-point peace plan, which called on Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine and to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Russia still controls about a fifth of Ukraine, despite land swaps in major battlefield setbacks last year.
What has Russia said?
Russia said on Wednesday that it welcomed a more active role by China in efforts to resolve the conflict.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, “When it comes to addressing hot international issues, we and China share the same approach.”
A few weeks before the invasion, Putin and Xi agreed to a “no borders” partnership as both countries seek to counter what they see as attempts by the United States to dominate global affairs.
Meeting with Putin on Wednesday, Wang said China was ready to play a “constructive role” to end the Ukraine conflict.
“The Chinese side, as in the past, will resolutely adhere to an objective and fair position and play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis,” Wang was quoted as saying by Russian state media.
Putin said Russia’s relations with China were “developing” and said Xi would visit Moscow.
What has the West said?
Beijing’s efforts to reach a peace deal and Wang’s visit to Moscow have received a mixed response in the West, which believes Russia’s growing dependence on China makes it one of the few countries actually able to influence Moscow. are capable.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Bierbock said China had an obligation to use that influence to seek peace in Ukraine.
“As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is obliged to use its influence to safeguard world peace,” said Baerbock, who met Wang at a security conference last week.
The United States was skeptical, warning that Wang’s visit to Russia on the eve of the war’s first anniversary was more evidence of Beijing’s growing alignment with Moscow.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “China is trying to have it both ways.”
“China is trying to project and hide itself in this veneer of neutrality, even as it deepens its engagement with Russia in political, diplomatic, economic and potentially security spheres,” he said. Is.”
Xi stood by Putin during the conflict in Ukraine, resisting Western pressure to isolate Moscow.
Trade between the two countries has increased since the invasion, and China is Russia’s largest buyer of oil, a major source of revenue for Moscow.
read all Breaking News Here
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)