China Presents Peace Plan; Zelenskyy says he will wait for details

BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s initiative, but said the plan’s success would depend on actions, not words.

Beijing says its stance is neutral in the war that started a year ago, but also said it had “unlimited friendship” with Russia and refused to criticize the invasion of Ukraine, or even to call it an invasion. He accused the West of provoking the conflict and “fanning the flames” by supplying arms to Ukraine.

“I think the fact that China has started talking about Ukraine is not bad,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference on Friday. “But the question is what comes after the words. The question is in the steps and where they lead.”

The plan released by China’s Foreign Ministry reiterates well-known positions, and analysts say Beijing would do little to mediate.

However, some observers have warned that Ukraine and its allies should tread carefully because rejecting what China sees as its peace proposal could prompt Beijing to supply arms to Russia.

Volodymyr Fesenko, director of the Kyiv-based independent think tank Penta Center, said Zelenskyy “will try to take China into account…so as not to let China and Russia get closer.”

“As long as China presents peace initiatives, it will be forced to maintain its neutrality and refrain from providing arms and direct military aid to Russia,” Fesenko told The Associated Press.

Ukraine could also see “a scenario where China at least pressures Russia to contain the use of nuclear weapons and creates a mechanism to control nuclear power plants in Ukraine”, he said.

For its part, Beijing needs to clarify its position whether Kyiv and Moscow pay close attention or not, said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.

“China finds it necessary to repeat its self-perceived neutrality at this stage, in order to retain some international influence not only by criticizing NATO, but also by distinguishing itself from Russia’s behavior,” Shi noted.

China’s proposal calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries, but it does not say what will happen to the territory occupied by Russia since the invasion. It also calls for the lifting of “unilateral” sanctions against Russia, indirectly criticizes the enlargement of the NATO alliance and condemns threats to use nuclear force.

The proposal is “an attempt at China’s public relations,” said Li Mingjiang, a professor and international security expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “I am not convinced that this policy will enhance your credibility as an honest mediator.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed the proposal, saying it shared China’s ideas, including the rejection of Western sanctions. At the same time, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova ratified Moscow’s demand that Ukraine recognize territories conquered by Russia, renounce its candidacy for NATO and assume neutral status, among other conditions for peace.

Ukraine has declared that it will not accept peace without the return of all of its territory.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, tweeted that any peace plan that only calls for a ceasefire and allows Russia to continue to occupy any part of Ukraine “is not a question of peace, but to freeze the war, to defeat Ukraine, with the next steps of the Russian genocide”.

Ukraine’s allies have also expressed skepticism. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN his initial reaction to the proposal was that it “could stop at the first point, which is: respect the sovereignty of all nations.”

“This war could end tomorrow if Russia stops attacking Ukraine and withdraws its forces,” he added, adding that “it was a war of choice.”

German government spokesman Wolfgang Buchner said the Chinese proposal contained several important points, but lacked a fundamental one: “First, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.”

On Thursday, China abstained when the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution calling on Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

The 12-point peace proposal also calls for measures to prevent attacks on civilians, maintain the security of nuclear facilities, create humanitarian corridors and guarantee the export of grain. It also calls for an end to the “Cold War mentality”, a term China often uses to refer to what it sees as US hegemony and the maintenance of alliances like NATO.

“Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukrainian crisis,” the proposal reads. He did not provide any details on what form the negotiations should take, but said “China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.”

Zelenskyy said on Friday his main goal was to ensure that China would not supply arms to Russia. And he said he was convinced that China’s involvement could be useful in isolating Russia. “Our task is to bring everyone together to isolate one,” he said.

He also said he would like to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping: “I believe it will benefit our countries and the security of the world.”

China’s proposal came at a time when US-China relations are at a historic low over Taiwan, trade and technology disputes, human rights and China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea. .

The United States recently claimed that China may be preparing to send military aid to Russia, a charge that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called “simple slander and defamation”.

On Friday, he criticized the “massive disinformation in this regard against China”.

Wang was referring to information published in the German magazine Der Spiegel, which claimed that the Russian military was negotiating with a small Chinese drone manufacturer for the “components and know-how” necessary for the country to manufacture around 100 explosive drones in same time. .month.

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Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.