The presidents of China and Belarus, Xi Jinping and Alexandr Lukashenko, meeting in Beijing, on Wednesday called for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, in line with a peace proposal presented by the Chinese government.
“Belarus is actively campaigning for proposals for peace and fully supports its initiative in favor of international security,” Lukashenko said after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“We must avoid a global confrontation that will have no winners”Alexandr Lukashenko, President of Belarus
The Belarusian president, an ally of Moscow, said that the meeting with his Chinese counterpart “takes place in a very difficult time that requires new and unusual proposalsand responsible political decisions”.
Stop the fire
The presidents of China and Belarus, Xi Jinping and Alexandr Lukashenko, meeting in Beijing, called for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war between Ukraine and Russiain line with a peace proposal presented by the Chinese government.
“The core of China’s position is to call for peace, encourage negotiations and respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries,” Xi said after receiving Lukashenko, China’s state-run CCTV reported.
“Relevant countries must stop politicizing and use the world economy as a tooland take measures that really stop the war and resolve the crisis peacefully,” Xi added, clearly alluding to the United States and its allies.
These proposals “should be aimed above all at avoiding a global confrontation that will have no winners,” the president added, according to the press service of the Belarusian presidency, the AFP news agency reported.
Beijing has long had a close relationship with Lukashenko, and after the meeting, both leaders oversaw the signing of a series of cooperation agreements in areas that include, among others, agriculture, customs, sports, etc.
Lukashenko’s visit comes after China published a twelve-point proposal for a political solution in Ukraine, which includes Negotiation as an indispensable item.
Both Belarus and China had underlined last Friday, when the Chinese document was presented one year after the conflict, their mutual support for a negotiated solution.
However, The role of mediator that China seeks to have is questioned by Western countries criticizing its ties to Russia.
Rear
Belarus, which is a neighboring country of Ukraine, did not send troops to fight directly, but the government has given its territory to Moscow troops to use as a rear base.
China claims it is a neutral party in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and maintains contacts with the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
At the same time, Beijing claims to have an “unlimited friendship” with Moscow, condemned the sanctions imposed against Russia and has so far refused to criticize the invasion of Ukraine.
Besides, has accused NATO of provoking the conflict and to “fan the flames” with their help in arming Kiev.