One year after Russia’s war with Ukraine, China submits a 12-point ceasefire proposal.

The offer follows China’s recent announcement that it is seeking to mediate a war that has revived Western alliances that Beijing and Moscow see as rivals.

By releasing it, President Xi Jinping’s government reaffirms China’s demand for neutrality, even as it blocks United Nations efforts to denounce the invasion. The document echoes Russian claims that Western governments are responsible for the February 24, 2022 invasion and criticizes sanctions on Russia.

At a meeting in Munich, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was skeptical of Beijing’s position ahead of the plan’s launch. He said China had provided civilian aid in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military efforts and said the US had information that Beijing was “considering providing military support.” China called the claim “nonsense” and said it lacked evidence.

Chinese proposals

China’s proposal includes a ceasefire and peace talks, as well as an end to Western sanctions against Russia. He says that “the countries involved should stop abusing unilateral sanctions” and “help de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.”

It says that the sovereignty of all countries must be respected, although it does not specify how this will apply to Ukraine and the territories wrested from it after Russia seized Crimea in 2014.

The movement denounces the “Cold War mentality,” a rebuke to the United States and NATO and the US-EU military alliance. “The security of the region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs,” the proposal says. Russian President Vladimir Putin asked for guarantees before the invasion that Ukraine would not join NATO.

Other parts of the proposal call for a ceasefire, peace talks, protection of prisoners of war and an end to attacks on civilians, maintaining the safety of nuclear power plants and facilitating grain exports.

Does China support Russia?

China has made conflicting statements about its position. He says Russia was provoked into action by NATO’s eastward expansion, but also declared neutrality in the war.

Before the Russian attack, Xi and Putin attended the opening of last year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing and issued a statement saying their governments were bound by “boundless” friendship. Since then, China has shrugged off Western criticism and reaffirmed that commitment.

Putin said he expected Xi to visit Russia in the coming months. China has not yet confirmed this.

China “represents two faces,” the US Secretary of State told NBC Sunday. “Publicly, it positions itself as a country fighting for peace in Ukraine, but privately, as I said, in recent months we have already seen the provision of civilian assistance that goes directly to help the Russian war effort.”

Has China supported Russia?

China’s support for Russia has been largely rhetorical and political. Beijing helped block attempts to denounce Moscow at the UN. There is no public evidence that they are currently supplying arms to Russia, but the US has said that China is already providing non-military support and can do more.

Blinken said at a conference in Munich that the United States had long been concerned that China would supply weapons to Russia. “We have information that worries us that they are considering providing military support to Russia,” he said.

The US Secretary of State said he told the Chinese envoy at the Wang Yi meeting that “this will be a major problem.”

c.g. NATO said on Wednesday it saw some signs that China might be willing to provide arms and warned that it would constitute a violation of international law.

Russian and Chinese forces have been conducting joint exercises since the invasion and most recently with the South African navy off the coast of the African nation.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov questioned US concerns on Monday.

“I’m not sure, because Russia needs helmets, life jackets, etc. And I think if China helps it, then it will not be a weapon. It will be some kind of clothing,” Reznikov said in Kyiv.

Source: Associated Press.