In an early Wednesday interview released ahead of his visit to Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for China’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict. He emphasized that Beijing comprehensively understands the underlying causes of the crisis.
Putin’s comments came during an interview with China’s Xinhua news agency, where he reiterated Russia’s openness to negotiations to end the conflict, which has persisted for over two years. He commended China’s approach and the additional principles recently outlined by Chinese President Xi Jinping, viewing them as constructive and realistic steps to address the conflict.
According to a Russian transcript on the Kremlin website, Putin remarked, “We are positive in our assessment of China’s approach to solving the Ukrainian crisis. They really understand its global geopolitical meaning and its root causes in Beijing.” President Xi Jinping, in recent discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, described these additional principles as necessary steps to overcome the Cold War mentality. These principles aim to de-escalate the situation, establish conditions for peace and stability, and mitigate the conflict’s impact on the global economy.
Also Read: Ukraine Claims Foiling of Russian Attempt to Assassinate Zelensky
Over a year ago, Beijing released a 12-point document outlining broad principles for ending the conflict, but it lacked specific details. This proposal received lukewarm responses from both Russia and Ukraine, and the United States accused China of trying to position itself as a peace broker while supporting Russia’s narrative and refusing to condemn its invasion.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has lauded China’s proposal, calling it a “reasonable plan that the great Chinese civilization proposed for discussion.”
The conflict is perceived by Russia as a struggle against the “collective West,” which it accuses of promoting NATO’s eastward expansion and military activities near its borders, ignoring Moscow’s security concerns. Russia labels its actions in Ukraine as a “special operation” to disarm the country and protect it from fascists, a claim the West and Ukraine reject, calling the invasion an unprovoked act of aggression.
China and Russia declared a “no limits” relationship days before the invasion in February 2022. However, China has so far refrained from supplying Russia with weapons and ammunition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s peace plan demands that Russia withdraw its troops, return to its post-Soviet borders from 1991, and take responsibility for its actions. A peace summit is scheduled in Switzerland in June, although Russia has dismissed the initiative as pointless and has not been invited. Despite this, China has participated in some of the preparatory discussions for the summit, and Ukraine has been actively encouraging Beijing to attend.
