Wednesday 26 April 2023

Kiev unlikely to appreciate calls for peace regardless of China’s efforts — Russia's MFA

Kiev unlikely to appreciate calls for peace regardless of China’s efforts — Russia's MFA

Kiev unlikely to appreciate calls for peace regardless of China’s efforts — Russia's MFA




Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
©Sergey Savostyanov/TASS






Moscow has taken note of Beijing’s willingness to make efforts to launch a negotiation process on the Ukraine issue but Kiev is unlikely to appreciate calls for peace, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Wednesday.







"We have taken note of China’s willingness to make efforts to launch a negotiation process. We can see that our fundamental approaches are in line with the position paper that the Chinese Foreign Ministry released on February 24," she said, commenting on a phone call between Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine.


"So far, the Kiev regime has been rejecting all reasonable initiatives aimed at finding a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis," Zakharova added.


The diplomat noted that the Ukrainian authorities and their Western sponsors had already made it clear how they could put peace initiatives on the back burner. "By their own admission, they only needed the Minsk Accords to buy time and increase offensive capabilities. In the spring of 2022, they suddenly rejected the peace agreements that the parties were about to reach at Kiev’s initiative. Vladimir Zelensky even signed a law to ban any talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That said, Washington’s puppets are unlikely to appreciate any calls for peace," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman emphasized.


She also noted that Communist ideas and the Communist Party were officially banned in Ukraine, while Head of the Verkhovna Rada’s (parliament) Committee on International Affairs Alexander Merezhko had recently claimed that the international community’s recognition of Taiwan as part of China was "a Communist misconception."


The presidents of China and Ukraine held a telephone conversation earlier on Wednesday. Zelensky said on Twitter that the call had been "long and meaningful." He last communicated with the Chinese leader in early January 2022.



Xi Jinping tells Zelensky over phone that China will push for ceasefire in Ukraine — TV



Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky during telephone talks on Wednesday that China will push for the early ceasefire in Ukraine, China Central Television reported on Wednesday.


"China is determined to facilitate the peace process and a ceasefire as soon as possible," the channel quoted the Chinese leader as saying.


According to China Central Television, Xi Jinping pointed out that China hopes that all parties concerned would "critically ponder over the Ukrainian conflict" and through dialogue "pave the way for long-term peace in Europe."


Xi told Zelensky that “dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out.”


“China will neither watch the fire from the other side, nor add fuel to the fire, let alone take advantage of the opportunity to make profits,” Xi said, as quoted by the Global Times. The Chinese president urged all sides to remain “calm and restrained” when dealing with the possibility of the conflict spiraling into a larger confrontation. “No one wins a nuclear war,” he said.







Xi promised to dispatch “a special envoy” to Ukraine and other countries to “conduct in-depth communication” regarding a resolution of the conflict.


In February, Beijing unveiled a 12-point roadmap for peace between Moscow and Kiev, expressing willingness to take part in mediating an end to the hostilities. China, unlike many Western nations, has refused to condemn Russia, its strategic partner, and to impose sanctions on Moscow.


Xi traveled to Moscow last month, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The leaders vowed to work to increase trade and other areas of cooperation. Xi said that the ties between the two countries have “acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.


French President Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to China this month, where he urged Xi to “reason” with Moscow. The Chinese government criticized Russia for attacking Ukraine but also agreed with Moscow that NATO’s expansion near Russia’s western border was one of the core causes of the conflict.



China not to observe Ukrainian crisis quietly — Xi Jinping



Chinese authorities have no intention to quietly observe the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, but at the same time will not fuel the flame, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said during a phone call with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky Wednesday.


"China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible power," Xi Jinping said, according to CCTV. "We will not observe the ongoing fire quietly, and we will not fuel the flames."


The Chinese leader pointed out that Beijing "has no intention to benefit" from the Ukrainian crisis in any way.
























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