Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the peace plan for Ukraine presented by China can serve as the basis for a future settlement of the conflict.
“Many of the points included in China’s peace plan are in line with Russian positions and can serve as the basis for a peaceful settlement,” Putin said with Chinese leader Xi Jinping after signing several documents in the Hall. of Malachite from the Grand Kremlin Palace.
Putin qualified: “When the West and Kyiv are ready for it. Although, for now, we do not see such willingness on their part.” “Russia and China can find a solution to even the most complicated problems,” he stressed.
For his part, Xi assured that China is committed “to peace and dialogue” and “actively supports reconciliation and the reestablishment of negotiations” between Russia and Ukraine, which have been non-existent since the last attempt in the spring of 2022 by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I would like to underline that in pursuit of the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict we invariably rely on the UN statutes and stick to an objective and impartial position,” he said.
In its peace plan, China defends, on the one hand, Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace negotiations, and on the other, it advocates taking into account Russia’s security concerns in the face of the advance from NATO.
In turn, it calls for the lifting of the sanctions adopted by the West against Russia due to the so-called “special military operation”.
The Kremlin noted on Monday that Putin and Xi listened to each other’s arguments during their informal talks on Ukraine on Monday.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi told his Russian counterpart that “most countries support easing tensions.”
“They want peace and talks to be promoted, and they are against adding fuel to the fire,” he said.
Regarding the Chinese initiative, Kyiv warned that, before implementing it, Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory, alluding to the fact that Beijing’s plan does not allude to Moscow’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is waiting to talk with Xi by videoconference once his trip to the northern giant ends.
In this regard, NATO urged Xi on Tuesday to speak with kyiv as soon as possible if he really advocates peace in Ukraine.
