Russia's President Putin suggests that a China-proposed plan could potentially bring an end to the ongoing war, yet he expresses concerns over the readiness of Ukraine and the Western region for such a peace accord.
Revised Article:
In a recent development, Vladimir Putin hinted at China's peace proposal being utilized as a potential solution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. However, Putin emphasized that this plan would only be presented when the West and Kyiv are ready. The Russian leader's remarks came after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow.
China's peace plan, revealed last month, doesn't explicitly demand Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine. Instead, it outlines 12 factors, including peace talks, respect for national sovereignty, and non-aggression, without making specific propositions [4]. Meanwhile, Ukraine has maintained that any talks must be based on Russia's withdrawal from its territory, with no indication of Russia planning to comply [3].
Recent events in Crimea have added fuel to the fire. On Wednesday, authorities in Moscow-backed Crimea reported three waterborne drones attacking the Black Sea Fleet in the Bay of Sevastopol, which was later claimed to have been thwarted without any damage [3]. On Monday, surges in another part of Crimea were reported to have damaged Russian projectiles being transported by rail, according to Ukraine [3].
Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, has stated that requiring a ceasefire before Russia withdraws would effectively legitimize Russian annexation [3]. In a press conference following his meeting with Xi, Putin said, "Many aspects of the Chinese peace strategy can form the basis for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, whenever the West and Kyiv are ready for it." However, he added that Russia hasn't seen such "readiness" from the opposing side [3].
During the joint press conference, Xi reaffirmed China's stance in favor of peace and dialogue, positioning China as a potential peace-maker [4]. The two leaders also discussed expanding economic, energy, and political ties between the two countries [4]. Xi departed Russia on Wednesday [4].
According to Russian state media, the leaders authorized two joint documents—one outlining plans for financial cooperation and one on plans to deepen the Russia-China partnership [4]. They also agreed on a pipeline in Siberia to deliver Russian gas to China via Mongolia, affirmed that nuclear war should never be unleashed, and reviewed their concern over the new Aukus pact—a security agreement between Australia, the UK, and the U.S. [4].
There has been growing concern in the West that China may provide military assistance to Russia, but Stoltenberg, NATO's Chief, stated that NATO hasn't seen any proof of such activity [4]. However, Stoltenberg acknowledged signs of Russia's weapon requests, which are being considered in Beijing [3].
In response to Western allegations of nuclear-tipped weapons being sent to Ukraine, Putin accused the West of deploying weapons with a "nuclear element" and stated that Russia would respond if the UK sent armor plated with depleted uranium to Ukraine [3]. The UK's Ministry of Defense clarified that depleted uranium is merely a basic component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons [3].
Putin’s visit was marked by a grand welcome, with Xi expressing his delight at being in Moscow and describing his talks with Putin as "honest, open, and friendly" [3]. The visit took place shortly after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on charges of war crimes [2].
The unexpected visit by Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, to Kyiv made him the first leader of Japan to visit a country in conflict since World War II [3]. President Zelensky stated he would join the G7 summit in Japan via video link at the invitation of Kishida and expressed his hopes for China's participation in peace talks [3].
Sources:[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64579891 [2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-says-wrong-to-prepare-peace-proposal-ukraine-only-when-west-ready-2023-03-21/ [3] https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/vladimir-putin-vladimir-putin-and-xi-jinping-meet [4] https://reuters.com/world/china/china-russia-joint-statement-delivers-technical-details-pike-gas-pipeline-2021-11-16/ [5] https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-urkraine-foreign-ministers-meet-2023-02-14/
Context Limits:To avoid exceeding the input limit, the enrichment data has been selectively integrated to provide contextual insights without overwhelming the text. Additional details can be found in the enrichment data if needed.
- The potential utilization of China's peace proposal in addressing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as suggested by Vladimir Putin, falls under the category of 'general-news'.
- The discussion between Antony Blinken and Xi Jinping regarding the Russian-Ukraine conflict, including China's peace plan and the West's stance, falls under 'politics' and 'war-and-conflicts'.
