China is calling on “all sides” involved in negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine to find an agreement “as soon as possible.”
“We hope that all parties and stakeholders will participate in the peace talks in a timely manner and reach a fair, lasting, binding and acceptable peace agreement to all parties as soon as possible,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular news conference on Monday.
In her comments on Monday, Mao Ning said, “China supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis and is glad to see Russia and the United States maintain contact, improve their relations and promote a political settlement process of the Ukraine crisis.”
Mao’s remarks came within hours of German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul calling out Beijing for fueling Russia’s war of aggression with financial and material support, saying: “China is Russia’s largest supplier of dual-use goods and Russia’s best oil and gas customer. Russia’s war in Ukraine is only made possible by China.”
Tense atmosphere before Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
Mao’s comments came as European leaders head to Washington, DC, on Monday to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he sits down with US President Donald Trump — who, in turn, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday — to discuss ending the war.
Tensions are high heading into Monday’s meetings, with Trump seemingly having shifted his sympathies toward aggressor Putin again and putting pressure on Zelenskyy to cede land in order to attain peace.
Trump is eager to finally fulfill his campaign promise to “immediately end the war in Ukraine,” something that has eluded him for months, and looks likely to push Zelenskyy for concessions that the Ukrainian leader has said will not be made.
Although Trump expressed disappointment that Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Alaska, he said both Russia and the US would provide “robust security guarantees.”
Such promises likely offer little solace to Ukrainians who received similar vows in 1994, when Kyiv handed over Soviet nuclear weapons in exchange for security and territorial guarantees in the so-called Budapest Memorandum signed by Ukraine, Russia, the UK and the US.
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