1. mars 2023 11:30 – Updated March 1, 2023 5:08 p.m
The presidents of Belarus and China are calling on Ukraine and Russia to conclude a ceasefire and begin negotiations to find a solution to the conflict.
Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko was in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday. Lukashenko expressed full support for China’s proposal for a plan to end the hostilities in Ukraine.
The plan was met with international skepticism and has been criticized for not containing any new initiatives to end the conflict.
Nor did it have a demand that Russian forces withdraw from Ukraine – a prerequisite from the Ukrainian side for talks.
Criticizes Western countries
– The core of China’s position is to pray for peace and encourage talks … and for the legitimate security interests of all countries to be respected, Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese broadcaster CCTV.
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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday. The two, who both have ties to Russia, are advocating a ceasefire and negotiations to end the Ukraine war.
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Furthermore, he said that “countries should stop politicizing and using the world economy as a tool, and instead introduce measures that really promote a ceasefire and end the war, and resolve the crisis peacefully”, with clear reference to the US and its allies.
Belarus “completely agrees with and supports China’s position and proposals for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, which is of great importance for resolving it”, Lukashenko is quoted as saying.
China and Lukashenko have long had close ties, and after the talks the two presidents signed a number of cooperation agreements on everything from agriculture to customs and sports.
Ties to Russia
Russia is Belarus’ closest ally, and Lukashenko allowed Belarusian territory to be used as a springboard for attacks against Ukraine last year. Russian forces and weapons are still stationed in the neighboring country.
This has isolated Lukashenko even more in Europe. His regime is under sanctions from the European Union due to the Ukraine war and repression of the opposition in Belarus. Lukashenko has been the country’s president ever since the position was established in 1994.
In 2020, the authorities cracked down hard on extensive demonstrations after an election in which the opposition and a number of Western countries believe there was electoral fraud.
The visit is also a test of China’s ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his allies.
China claims to be a neutral party in the conflict, and has maintained contact with the Ukrainian government.
At the same time, Beijing has failed to condemn Russia’s warfare, and Western countries have recently warned Beijing against supplying Russia with weapons.
