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Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing’s proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
Speaking on the first anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky said the proposal showed China’s involvement in the search for peace.
The Chinese proposal calls for peaceful negotiations and respect for national sovereignty.
However, the 12-point document did not explicitly state that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine, and also condemned the practice of “unilateral sanctions”, which was seen as an implicit criticism of Ukraine’s Western allies.
The Chinese government has so far not publicly responded to Zelensky’s proposal to meet with Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, Russia welcomed China’s peace proposal. “We share Beijing’s views,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Beijing was considering supplying Russia with arms and ammunition, a claim Beijing has vehemently denied. On Friday, US media again reported that the Chinese government was considering sending drones and artillery shells to Moscow.
Asked about China’s plan, U.S. President Joe Biden told ABC News on Friday: “(Russian President Vladimir Putin) appreciates it, so it (the plan)” How could it be good?”
“I don’t see anything inside that suggests that there is anything that would benefit anyone outside of Russia,” he added.
The BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson said China appeared to be on Russia’s side, although it hoped to save President Putin by arranging some kind of face-saving peace deal.
On Wednesday (February 22), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Moscow and met with President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov. Subsequently, China put forward the above proposal.
After the talks, China’s official Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang Yi as saying that Beijing wanted to “deepen political mutual trust” and “strengthen strategic coordination” with Moscow.
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Western officials have reacted lukewarmly to the latest proposal. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing “has little credibility” because it “failed to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine”.
Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the Russian army made major advances in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine in the first few days.
But their assault on the capital, Kiev, was quickly repulsed, and Ukrainian troops later retook large areas.
Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II has turned into a grueling war of attrition.
Speaking at a lengthy news conference in Kiev on Friday, Zelensky said victory “will inevitably await us” if allies “respect their commitments and deadlines”.
Poland says it has delivered four German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and is ready to deliver more. Germany said it would provide 14 Leopard tanks, with Spain and Canada also sending tanks.
The United States, the country that has provided the most military aid to Ukraine so far, has pledged to provide Ukraine with 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks, and the United Kingdom will provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks.
The Ukrainian leader added that his country had failed to adequately engage with countries in Africa and Latin America who abstained from voting at the UN General Assembly on a resolution condemning the Russian aggression.
“We haven’t functioned well for years, we didn’t pay attention, and I think that’s a big mistake,” he said.
Asked about his worst moment in the war so far, Zelensky said Bucha is a town outside Kiev where Russian troops are accused of killing civilians early in the war. The town was under Russian control until Ukrainian forces fought back to retake it last April.
“What I saw was horrific,” Zelensky said emotionally.
On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States announced a series of new sanctions against Russia and new aid to Ukraine.
The latest sanctions target more than 100 entities in Russia and abroad, including banks and defense equipment suppliers. The United States says it wants to stop those who help Russia exploit loopholes to obtain embargoed materials.
The new round of White House aid to Ukraine is worth $12 billion, with $2 billion from the Defense Department, including munitions and drones, and $10 billion from the State Department, including budget support for the Ukrainian government.
Another $550 million will be used to strengthen energy infrastructure in Ukraine and neighboring Moldova.
Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, was badly affected by the war. Its leaders have been warning for weeks that Russia is plotting to take power in the country.
A few days ago, US President Biden flew to Kiev suddenly and held talks with Zelensky.
On Friday, the European Union approved the tenth round of sanctions against Russia, imposing restrictions on technologies with dual civilian and military uses.
