The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, has stated that China “does not differentiate between aggressor and victim of aggression,” but called on Beijing to use its influence on Moscow “to achieve peace in Ukraine.” He believes that China cannot be a “mediator” in Russia’s war against Ukraine, “but can play a role as a mediator in reaching a peaceful agreement with Russia.
“China does not differentiate between aggressor and victim of aggression. China does not call for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine,” Borrell said, but he believes that Beijing should use its influence on Moscow “to achieve peace in Ukraine.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping was on a three-day visit to Moscow, and on March 20, 2023, he held talks with Russian dictator Putin one-on-one.
President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Xi Jinping to visit Ukraine, stating that he wants to talk to the Chinese leader.
“I want to talk to him. I had contact with him before the full-scale war. But for the whole year, over a year, I haven’t had a conversation,” said Zelensky.
He expressed the opinion that the visit of the US to the dictator Vladimir Putin in Moscow did not benefit Russia.
China claims its “neutral” position on Russia’s war against Ukraine, which Beijing calls the “Ukrainian crisis.” China has repeatedly echoed the Russian propaganda cliché that NATO and the United States “provoked” Russia into the war, and has not condemned Moscow’s war on the Ukrainian people.
However, China has simultaneously stated its commitment to the principles of territorial integrity and the inviolability of established borders. Chinese officials regularly call for negotiations and say they are “for peace in the world”.