In an interview with ABC News, U.S. President Joe Biden dismissed the peace plan China put forward for Russia’s full-scale war, noting that it would likely only work in Russia’s favor.
“If Putin is applauding it, so how could it be any good?” Biden said. “I’m not being facetious. I’m being deadly earnest.”
“I’ve seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia if the Chinese plan were followed,” he said.
Biden also dismissed the idea that Beijing would negotiate peace for Russia’s full-scale war.
“The idea that China is going to be negotiating the outcome of a war that is a totally unjust war for Ukraine is just not rational,” Biden said.
On Feb. 24, China’s Foreign Ministry released a 12-point statement that detailed Beijing’s stance on achieving a “political settlement” to resolve Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
The plan emphasizes the importance of respecting the sovereignty of all nations, protecting nuclear facilities, facilitating grain exports, and safeguarding the welfare of civilians and prisoners of war.
China has pledged to "continue" playing a constructive role in facilitating this outcome.
However, the statement also urges the abandonment of "Cold War mentality" and "unilateral sanctions," terms that Beijing often uses to criticize the West's response to the war.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also cast doubt on China’s proposed peace plan for Ukraine, pointing to China’s failure to explicitly condemn the Russian invasion.
Stoltenberg called signs that China might be considering supplying lethal aid to Russia a “cause for concern,” adding that it would be supporting an illegal invasion that violates international law.
