Vladimir Putin backs China's Ukraine peace plan
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his support for China's proposal for resolving the Ukraine crisis in an interview published on Wednesday. He emphasized that China comprehends the underlying causes of the conflict and lauded Beijing's approach to addressing it.
Speaking to Xinhua news agency prior to his visit to Beijing, Putin reiterated Russia's willingness to engage in dialogue to resolve the longstanding conflict in Ukraine. He praised China's understanding of the crisis's root causes and its broader geopolitical implications.
Putin specifically commended the additional principles outlined by Chinese President Xi Jinping during discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. These principles, according to Putin, represent pragmatic and constructive steps toward overcoming the Cold War mentality.
China initially presented a 12-point plan over a year ago, outlining general principles for ending the conflict. While this proposal received a lukewarm response from Russia and Ukraine at the time, Putin now acknowledges it as a reasonable basis for discussion.
Despite initial skepticism from some quarters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov characterized China's proposal as a sensible initiative. Russia perceives the conflict as a struggle against the "collective West," which it believes has disregarded Moscow's security concerns by expanding NATO eastward and conducting military activities near its borders.
The relationship between Russia and China, characterized by both parties as "unrestricted," was affirmed just days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, Beijing has refrained from directly supplying weapons and ammunition to support Russia's military efforts in Ukraine.
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