China urges Russia-Ukraine talks, UN supports no nukes clause
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
People attending a protest to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb 24, 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
BEIJING - China called on Friday for urgent peace talks as it released its plan to end the war
The United Nations expressed cautious optimism over the Chinese proposals, particularly over the document’s call to avoid using nuclear weapons.
Russia reacted positively to Beijing’s efforts and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered a muted response, saying Kyiv needed to “work with China” on approaches
Mr Zelensky told reporters he was planning to meet Mr Xi Jinping after the Chinese leader’s government called for the peace talks, saying it would “be important for world security”.
China’s 12-point paper calling for a “political settlement” of the crisis follows accusations from the West that China is considering arming Russia,
Timed to coincide with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the paper urges all parties to “support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible”.
It also makes clear its opposition to not only the use of nuclear weapons, but the threat of deploying them, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use Moscow’s atomic arsenal in the conflict.
Russia said on Friday that it appreciated Beijing’s efforts to settle the conflict, but insisted any solution should recognise Kremlin control over four Ukrainian regions.
“We highly value the sincere desire of our Chinese friends to contribute to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine through peaceful means,” the Foreign Ministry said, but added any settlement must recognise “the new territorial realities”.
China’s document was immediately met by scepticism from Ukraine’s allies, with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg saying Beijing “doesn’t have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine”.
United States President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser said the war “could end tomorrow if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine and withdrew its forces”.
“My first reaction to (the position paper) is that it could stop at point one, which is to respect the sovereignty of all nations,” Mr Jake Sullivan told CNN.
And German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that while “every constructive suggestion that brings us closer on the path to a just peace is highly welcome... whether global power China wants to play such a constructive role is still doubtful”.
At a press conference in Beijing, Ukrainian and European Union diplomats urged China to do more to press Russia to end the conflict.
Mr Jorge Toledo, EU ambassador to China, said Beijing has a “special responsibility” as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to uphold peace.
At the UN, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman said: “I think the call on the need to avoid the use of nuclear weapons is particularly important.”
Strategic allies
China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the conflict while maintaining close ties with strategic ally Russia.
Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday met Mr Putin
A meeting readout published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted Mr Wang as saying China was willing to “deepen political trust” and “strengthen strategic coordination” with Russia.
Since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, China has offered Mr Putin diplomatic and financial support, but refrained from overt military involvement or sending lethal arms.
Leaders at a virtual Group of Seven summit on Friday
But one analyst suggested the Chinese policy paper could be laying the groundwork for further involvement by Beijing in the conflict.
“The absence of a proscription against arms transfers concerns me,” former US Department of Defence official Drew Thompson wrote on Twitter.
“It is possible Beijing is getting ready to provide Russia with lethal support.” AFP
