Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a “peace speech” on February 24.
High-ranking Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, during a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, voiced Beijing’s position regarding the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.
“The Chinese partners informed us about their views on the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, as well as approaches to its political settlement. There was no specific plan,” said Maria Zakharova, press secretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry, after the meeting.
According to the results of the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China briefly noted that the parties discussed Ukraine.
“Wang Yi emphasized that the more difficult the situation, the more unable to abandon peaceful efforts. He hopes that all parties will overcome difficulties, continue to create conditions for dialogue negotiations and find effective political solutions,” the department said in a statement.
China’s “peace plan” for Ukraine
Last week during the Munich Security Conference, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, said that Beijing intends to publish a document on February 24, the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, offering a solution to end the war.
Western officials familiar with the document told Bloomberg that the proposals would be broadly in line with the ideas of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. For example, there will be a call to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons necessary for defense.
On February 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that he had heard about this plan, but clarified that Ukraine had not received any official documents.
Later, China began to claim that it was a “position paper” of China, and not any peace plan.
As you know, throughout the year of the full-scale war, China has consistently reiterated its support for diplomacy and peace negotiations. Avoiding criticism of Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, China provides diplomatic support to the occupying country. For example, blaming Washington for this war and justifying the invasion by the need to oppose the expansion of NATO.
In addition, according to the US, China provided the Russian Federation with non-lethal military aid and economic support. And in recent days, warnings to China regarding the provision of weapons to Russia have been sounded more and more often.
