A day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of possible repercussions for China supporting Russia in the ongoing war, the latter offered to mediate a “peace deal” in order to settle the invasion through diplomatic channels.
Speaking at a security conference in China’s national capital, its Foreign Minister Qin Gang asserted that President Xi Jinping has been actively advocating to negotiate a peace deal between the two nations which have been facing unprecedented war since last year.
During the conference, the minister claimed that his presidency was concerned that the matter could further spin and might go beyond control. “China is deeply worried about the escalation of the situation and even the possibility of it going out of control,” Qin said. He said President Xi had put forward proposals that have “played a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation and de-escalating the crisis”.
Xi’s contradictory statement
However, he did not exhibit any proof to support his tall claims. In fact, even before the conflict began nearly a year ago, President Putin visited Beijing for Winter Olympics. During the meeting on the sidelines of the multi-sports event, Xi promised his Russian counterpart of unconditional economic support. After the war escalated in February last year, China proved itself a lifeline for Russia, amid the fact that the latter has been facing multiple international sanctions.
Despite that Qin said, “We will continue to promote peace talks, provide Chinese wisdom for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and work with the international community to promote dialogue and consultation to address the concerns of all parties and seek common security.”
Zelenskyy warns of World War III
Earlier on Monday, the war-embattled President Zelenskyy warned of the probability of a third world war, “if China allies with Russia in the ongoing aggression against Kyiv.”
Speaking to a German daily Die Welt, President Zelenskyy asserted the importance of China distancing itself from Moscow’s leader Vladimir Putin. “For us, it is important that China does not support the Russian Federation in this war. In fact, I would like it to be on our side,” Zelenskyy said.
However, he ascertained that the possibility is very low as his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping understands the sensibility of assisting a country which is ravaging a brutal war against its neighbouring nation. “At the moment, however, I don’t think it’s possible. But I do see an opportunity for China to make a pragmatic assessment of what is happening here. Because if China allies itself with Russia, there will be a world war, and I do think that China is aware of that,” the German media quoted Zelenskyy as saying.
(With inputs from agencies)
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