Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he supported China’s peace plan to resolve the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
The interview with Putin surfaced on the morning of Wednesday, May 15. The president claimed that Beijing fully understood “what is behind the [Ukrainian] crisis.” He also spoke to Chinese news agency Xinhua ahead of his visit to Beijing this week. The Russian leader added that Moscow remained open to dialogue and negotiations to resolve the two-year-old conflict.
According to Putin, China’s peace plan and further “principles” announced by President Xi Jinping last month addressed the factors behind the conflict.
We are positive in our assessment of China’s approach to solving the Ukrainian crisis. In Beijing, they truly understand its root causes and its global geopolitical meaning.
Moreover, the additional principles outlined by Xi Jinping in talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were “realistic and constructive steps” that “develop the idea of the necessity to overcome the cold war mentality,” Putin emphasised.
China put forward the 12-point document over a year ago. It covered general principles for ending the war, but did not elaborate on the details. At the time, the document faced weak support in both Russia and Ukraine. Besides, the United States then argued that China was positioning itself as a peacemaker but reflected Russia’s “false narrative.”
Xi Jinping‘s proposal calls for “cooling down” the situation, creating conditions for restoring peace and stability, and minimising the impact on the global economy.
Russia considers the war in Ukraine as a fight against the “collective West,” which has neglected Moscow’s security interests. According to Putin, this contributed to NATO’s eastward expansion and military activity near its borders.
China and Russia proclaimed a “no limits” relationship just days before the war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022. However, Beijing has so far avoided providing Russia with real weapons and ammunition.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace plan called for the withdrawal of Russian troops, restoration of the 1991 post-Soviet borders, and holding Russia accountable for its actions.
The peace summit in Sweden will take place in June this year. However, the meeting organisers did not invite Russia. Moscow, for its part, rejected the initiative as pointless, arguing that the talks should take into account “new realities.” China attended some of the preparatory talks for the summit, and Ukraine made great efforts to persuade Beijing to participate.
