Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: While acknowledging China’s proposal for a political solution in Ukraine, the Kremlin on Monday said the conditions for the conflict’s peaceful resolution are not in place “at the moment”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that we have gone over our Chinese friends’ plan very closely, however, at present, none of the conditions that are needed to bring this whole saga towards peace exist.
China has tried to position itself as a neutral party in the war while, at the same time, maintaining a close relationship with strategic ally Russia.
Last week, Beijing released a 12-point paper to end the war in Ukraine and called for peace talks. One of the points was regarding the respect of all countries’ territorial sovereignty.
While thanking Chinese efforts, the Russian foreign ministry on Friday said that any settlement of the conflict needed to recognize Russia’s control over 4 Ukrainian regions.
Moscow claims to have annexed the regions of Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson but has never fully controlled them.
Zelensky stresses need to work with Beijing on Chinese plan
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country needed to work with China, arguing that “it seems to me” from the Chinese perspective, “there is respect for our security issues, territorial integrity”.
Zelensky added that it he was his conviction that only a country whose territory is under attack can begin “any peace initiatives.”
The proposal has been published after accusations from the West that Beijing is considering arming Russia, a claim China has dismissed as false.
