“China not only defends Moscow’s position, but also tries to promote its own “peace proposals”, having received their approval from the Russian side. Though it claims to be a key mediator in the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and seeks to influence the formation of the European security architecture”

Natalia Butyrska, Visiting Senior Fellow at the New Europe Center, explains why China’s position on the Russo-Ukrainian war is not unbiased, what the seemingly neutral statements of the Celestial Empire mean and why Beijing’s participation in the upcoming Peace Summit organized by Ukraine is important for Kyiv.

According to the expert, for more than two years of the conflict, Beijing has become for the Russian Federation not only a serious diplomatic, economic support, but also the main supplier of dual-use goods used in the production of Russian weapons. Moreover, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said: British and American intelligence have evidence that “China is already providing or preparing to provide lethal aid to Russia, which it will use in the war against Ukraine.”

“China is trying to build a support group for its own peace initiatives to create an alternative platform for resolving the Russo-Ukrainian conflict,” Natalia Butyrskaya notes.

“The expectation that China will “pressure” or influence Putin to accept the position developed on Ukrainian terms looks illusory. Russia and China are henchmen in a strategic confrontation with the United States, so it would be strange if Beijing personally contributed to the victory of the West over the Russian Federation (and this is how he views the Russian-Ukrainian war, in which Ukraine is only a” pawn’)”, – the fellow summarizes.

More is on Mirror of the Week site (Ukrainian).