Zelensky: China's interest in securing peace a promising 'first step'

During a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Feb. 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was interested in the details of China's proposed peace plan for Ukraine.

Zelensky clarified that China's interest in securing peace in Ukraine was promising and he wasn't going to rule out the plan before seeing it.

"This is the first step and it is not bad," he added.

During a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Feb. 21, Zelensky said that he was counting on China to back Ukraine's proposed peace plan.

"It seems to me that our document, our peace formula, which has already been backed by a large number of states, and we expect further support for it... I think it is important to have one position," Zelensky said.

The 10-point peace plan introduced by Zelensky during G20 summit meeting in November 2022 includes the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, the establishment of a Russian war crimes tribunal, the release of all prisoners and forcibly relocated people, and the prevention of ecocide.

On Feb. 18, during the Munich Security Conference, the Guardian quoted China's top diplomat Wang Yi as saying that his country would launch its peace initiative on the one-year anniversary of Russia's all-out war.

According to Wang, this plan will underline the need to respect the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the UN Charter, considering the security interests of all countries, including Russia.

However, Western intelligence remains concerned that China could supply lethal aid to Russia, given Chinese officials' recent and planned trips to Moscow.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the possibility of China aiding the Russian war effort crossing "a red line" in an interview with CNN on Feb. 19.

China's top diplomat in Moscow, meets with Russian foreign minister

The Kyiv Independent