Putin Says China’s Peace Plan Could Serve as Basis for Settlement in Ukraine

According to a joint statement released by Xi and Putin, China believes Russia is willing to restart peace talks

By Dave DeCamp
Global Research, March 22, 2023
Antiwar.com 21 March 2023
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow on Tuesday that a 12-point peace plan put forward by Beijing could be the “basis” for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.

“We believe in many of the points on the peace plan put forward by China,” Putin said. Beijing’s proposal calls for the cessation of hostilities and for both sides to resume peace talks.

Putin expressed doubt that Kyiv or its Western backers were ready for negotiations, saying the Chinese proposal could be used as a foundation when “the West and in Kyiv are ready for it.” The Biden administration has come out strongly against China’s mediation efforts, as the White House has said it’s against calls for a ceasefire.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is open to discussing the issues with China, and Xi is expected to call him following his trip to Moscow, which wraps up on Wednesday. Zelensky said Tuesday that he has asked Beijing for talks on a “peace formula” for Ukraine.

Zelensky has put forward his own peace proposal, which calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and for war crimes tribunals.

“We offered China to become a partner in the implementation of the peace formula. We passed over our formula across all channels. We invite you to dialogue. We are waiting for your answer,” Zelensky said.

After holding hours of talks on Tuesday, Putin and Xi put out a joint statement that said China believes Russia is ready to restart peace talks.

“The Chinese side positively assesses the willingness of the Russian side to make efforts to restart peace talks as soon as possible,” the statement said.

The statement also said that Russia welcomes “China’s readiness to play a positive role in a political-diplomatic settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and the constructive ideas set forth in the document drawn up by the Chinese side.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday doubled down on the Biden administration’s opposition to a ceasefire, saying the world must “not be fooled” by China’s efforts. The position follows a pattern of the US discouraging peace talks throughout the war.

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Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.

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Articles by: Dave DeCamp

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