Ukraine: China praises Russia-US ‘consensus’ at G20, reached without Europe

Brussels – Beijing views favorably Trump’s moves to end the Ukrainian conflict together with Russia. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, did not repeat the statement made a week earlier (Feb. 15) in Munich, where he had argued that Ukraine should be involved in any future peace agreement.

According to the statement released by its ministry this morning (Feb. 21), “China supports all efforts dedicated to peace, including the recent consensus reached between the United States and Russia. We hope that the relevant parties can find a sustainable and lasting solution that takes into account each other’s concerns.”

“Acting on the wishes of the relevant parties and keeping in mind the concerns of the international community, China will continue playing a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis,” Wang continued. There was no reference to European countries or their involvement in the peace process. At the same time, Ukraine, in the words of the Chinese minister, is reduced to a mere object of negotiations, certainly not an active player. We are far from the peace plan the PRC presented on Feb. 24, 2023, when it wanted to mediate with the Europeans. Now that the plans for the “New Silk Road” with Europe have vanished, and peace negotiations appear to be the exclusive preserve of Moscow and Washington, Beijing prefers to negotiate with them.

In a meeting on the sidelines of the summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Chinese counterpart, discussing relations with the United States and the conflict in Ukraine.”The sides praise the development of political dialogue and practical interactions between Russia and China as a stabilizing factor against the ongoing turmoil in the global system,” the Russian ministry reported. Future talks with America should not be ruled out.