US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that “the world should not be misled” by Beijing’s proposals to resolve the war in Ukraine, while Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Moscow.
“The world must not be misled by a tactical decision by Russia, backed by China or any other country, to end the conflict on its own terms.”the head of US diplomacy told the media.
According to Blinken, the United States welcomes any diplomatic initiative aimed at achieving “a just and lasting peace”, but expressed doubts about China’s willingness to preserve Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
“Any project that does not prioritize this fundamental principle represents at best a tactic to gain time, or simply seeks to facilitate an unfair outcome” to the conflict, he argued, adding: “It’s not constructive diplomacy.”
“Calling for a ceasefire without the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory amounts in practice to supporting Russian territorial conquests” in that country, Blinken continued.
The secretary of state, who had already announced another $ 350 million (about € 330 million) in military aid to Kiev on Monday, reiterated the United States’ support for the position of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops.
“If China is determined to support an end to the conflict on the basis of the principles of the United Nations Charter – as expressed in the first point of the draft – then it can enter into a dialogue with President Zelensky on those terms and Ukraine use its influence to demand that Moscow proceed with the withdrawal of its troops”underlined Antony Blinken.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14.6 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.1 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
At least 18 million Ukrainians currently need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million people need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and impose political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The UN presented as confirmed since the start of the war, which today entered its 390th day, 8,317 civilian deaths and 13,892 wounded, underlining that these numbers are far below the real ones.
Source: DN
