China, Belarus urge ceasefire as Russia continues striking civilian sites in Ukraine
Key Developments on March 1st:
As Western officials continue to raise concerns that China may be supplying lethal weapons to Russia, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko began a three-day visit to Beijing on March 1, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
His trip comes days after China outlined its vision for the “political settlement” of Russia’s war in Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities and move to peace talks.
“Today, not a single problem in the world can be solved without China,” Lukashenko told China’s state news agency Xinhua before his visit.
Lukashenko and Xi Jinping have issued a joint statement urging a ceasefire in Ukraine and negotiations for a political settlement to the war.
“Relevant countries should stop politicizing and using the world economy as their tool, and take measures that really advance a ceasefire and end the war and resolve the crisis peacefully,” Xi said, referring to the US and its allies, as dated Chinese state broadcaster cited video surveillance.
Belarus, which is a comrade in Russia’s war and has served as a launching pad for Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine, “fully agrees with and supports China’s position.”
Lukashenko described China’s proposal for a political solution to the war in Ukraine as “of great importance for solving the crisis”.
China’s Foreign Ministry issued a 12-point statement outlining the country’s vision for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. The document called for a cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks, noting that China “will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.” However, it was not explicitly said that Moscow must withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Western leaders rejected the proposal. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has criticized China’s peace plan for not specifically providing for the withdrawal of Russian troops, while US President Joe Biden said the plan would likely only work in Russia’s favour.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg cast doubt on China’s proposed peace plan for Ukraine and pointed to China’s failure to explicitly condemn the Russian invasion.
Responding to China’s proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “We have our document, our peace formula, which is already supported by a large number of states, and we expect further support for it… I think it is important to take a position have .”
Xi’s meeting with Lukashenko also comes amid the US, which said there have been several reports recently that China may be considering supplying lethal weapons to Russia. According to CIA Director Bill Burns, the country hasn’t made a decision yet.
In a bid to stop China from proceeding with the determination, Biden’s administration is making the information public, much like it did in the months leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Burns told CBS News on Feb. 24.
“If it goes down that route (arms Moscow) it will have a real cost to China,” Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said last week.
According to Kyrylenko, an estimated total of 1,391 civilians have been killed and 3,109 injured in the Donetsk region since the start of the full-scale invasion.
These numbers exclude casualty figures from Russian-held Mariupol and Volnovakha, which are currently impossible for Ukrainian officials to ascertain.