PM of Spain requests a meeting between Zelensky of Ukraine and Xi of China.
Parts of China’s 12-point plan to settle the conflict in Russia and Ukraine are praised by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to speak with Ukrainian authorities and learn firsthand about Kyiv’s peace plan in order to assist in ending Russia’s incursion.
Xi, who traveled to Moscow on March 20-21, was informed by Sanchez, who spoke at a news conference in Beijing on Friday, that Spain backed the ideas put forth by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. One of them is for Ukraine’s territory to return to as it was prior to Russia’s takeover of Crimea in 2014.
According to him, the proposal “lays the groundwork for a lasting peace in Ukraine and is entirely in line with the ideals of the United Nations charter, which [Russian President Vladimir] Putin violated with his invasion,” he said.
In addition to encouraging Xi to speak with President Zelenskyy in order to learn more about Kyiv’s peace plan personally, Sanchez added, “I expressed our concern over the illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
A broad truce in the conflict was one of the 12 points Beijing’s 12-point position paper on a political resolution to the war in Ukraine included last month.
Some EU officials in China, however, expressed concern that the paper failed to identify Russia as the main aggressor in the war. On Thursday, Sanchez praised China’s position paper for “its comprehensive and unambiguous rejection of not only the use, but even the threat to use nuclear weapons,” as well as its respect for territorial integrity.
In response to Xi’s comments, Sanchez chose not to comment. Russia has stated that Ukraine must accept the loss of the Crimean Peninsula and four additional provinces in the east and south of the nation.
Chinese state television CCTV said that Xi called for an end to the “Cold War mentality” and the pressure of “extreme” sanctions, though he did not specifically mention Russia. “We believe that via communication and consultation, all parties involved will create a balanced, effective, and durable European security architecture,” Xi was cited as saying by CCTV.
Later on Friday, Josep Borrell, the senior diplomat for the European Union, stated that China may serve as a facilitator to reach a peace agreement with Moscow but could not act as a mediator in the conflict in Ukraine due to its excessive ties to Russia.
In Madrid, Spain, Borrell told a panel that “China does not distinguish between perpetrator and victim of violence.” Reiterating Sanchez’s remarks, he said, “China does not call for the departure of Russian forces from Ukraine, but China should utilize its influence over Russia to advocate for peace in Ukraine.”
Spain, a NATO member with close ties to the United States in terms of foreign and security policy, is a steadfast ally of Ukraine. It will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union Council in July, which brings together the 27 national governments that make up the bloc.
Putin, according to Sanchez, is attempting to “weaken” the EU’s “multilateral effort for peace and welfare.”
The Spanish prime minister affirmed that he shared Ursula von der Leyen’s assessment of the “complexity” of relations between the EU and China and emphasized the importance of reciprocity and a level playing field.
EU leaders have expressed concern over the lack of any official interaction between Xi and Zelenskyy since the start of the conflict, not least because it contrasts with indications of strong personal ties between Xi and Putin, such as when both leaders addressed one another as “dear friend” during their most recent meeting.
Von der Leyen, who stated in a speech on Thursday that China was becoming “more oppressive at home and more assertive abroad,” is due to travel to Beijing with French President Emmanuel Macron the following week.
