Russia backs China’s Peace Plan!
Beijing, May 15 (EFE).-
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he backs China’s proposal to resolve the war in Ukraine.
Ahead of his two-day visit to Beijing, in an interview with state news agency Xinhua, Putin favored Beijing’s position on a political solution to the Ukraine conflict.
China understands the “root causes and global geopolitical significance (of the Ukraine war),” Putin said.
The president referred to a 12-point proposition by Beijing in February 2023, calling China’s position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis as a “genuine desire of our Chinese friends to help stabilize the situation.”
“We have never refused to negotiate,” Putin said about the over-two-year-old war in Ukraine.
“We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.”
Putin’s visit to China, which begins Thursday, comes after Xi’s recent trip to Europe amid Western pressure for the Chinese leader to use his influence over Moscow to end the Ukraine war.
Xi, who had not visited Europe in five years, stopped in France, Serbia, and Hungary on his tour.
Beijing has strengthened its ties with Moscow since the Ukraine conflict and is now advocating for an international conference that would be recognized by both Russia and Ukraine to resume peace talks.
China has insisted on the need to respect the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “legitimate security concerns” of all countries and rejected any unilateral sanctions.
Putin’s visit to China also comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Beijing to “not assist Russia” and not supply equipment that could be used in its war against Ukraine.
China denies selling weapons to Russia, insisting that it maintains a “normal” trade relationship with Moscow.
However, US officials allege that Chinese companies assist the Russian arms industry by selling equipment that could be used for making ballistic missiles.
In February 2022, shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin proclaimed in a declaration in Beijing that the China-Russia friendship knew “no limits.”
Since then, they have argued that their ties “do not threaten any country” and instead advance the multi-polarization of the world. EFE gbm/up/ssk