Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Russia soon with Vladimir Putin and then speak via video link with Volodymyr Zelenskyi, events that come weeks after China proposed a 12-point plan for peace in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

China’s foreign ministry said it was in touch with both sides, and while it has not confirmed Xi’s plan to hold talks with Putin or Zelensky, there is speculation that China may try to bring them both to the negotiating table.

These are some of the questions that China and others are likely to consider as they consider the prospects for peace in Ukraine.

Why Xi Jinping wants to make a deal

China traditionally adheres to the principle of non-interference in the conflicts of other countries, especially the most distant ones. But the peace deal reached in Beijing last week between Saudi Arabia and Iran underscores China’s aim to position itself as a responsible major power under Xi, analysts say.

“Xi would like to be seen on the world stage as a statesman whose influence is at least equal to that of the American leader,” said Wang Jianyu, a law professor at the City University of Hong Kong.

China also seeks to remove accusations that it has sided with aggressor Russia over Ukraine. Analysts say the peace effort is a low-cost initiative that could pay big dividends for China, even if quick progress is unlikely.

What is China’s peace proposal?

In its 12-point document on the “political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis”, China called on both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a full ceasefire.

While the plan calls for the protection of civilians and respect for the sovereignty of all countries, China has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion. Both Russia and Ukraine have been cautious about the plan, while the United States and NATO have been skeptical.

Ukraine, which says it will consider peace deals only after Russian troops leave its territory, contested the plan because it did not specify that Russia should retreat beyond borders that existed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but later stated that she was open to “parts of the plan”.

Russia has said it will carry out a “subtle analysis” of the plan, but so far sees no signs of a peaceful settlement.

The United States has said Beijing has publicly presented itself as neutral and peace-seeking, while accepting Russia’s “false narrative” about the war, offering non-lethal aid and considering military aid, and China does not have much credibility as a mediator for Ukraine, NATO also said.

What role can Beijing play?

Analysts say it will be difficult for China to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, unlike Saudi Arabia and Iran, where it was an easier diplomatic victory.

“Saudi Arabia and Iran really want to negotiate and improve their relationship, while Russia and Ukraine don’t, at least for now,” said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington.

However, Xi Jinping can act as a back channel, Yun said, which could give momentum to talks that currently seem unlikely as both sides strengthen their positions in this bitter war.

NATO member Turkey’s failed attempt to hold dialogue in Istanbul weeks after the war broke out last year underscored the difficulty.

What leverage do the Chinese have

Some analysts say Beijing is in a better position than Turkey to mediate because it has more leverage with Russia. China is Russia’s most important ally, buying Russian oil and providing a market for Russian goods that Western countries shun.

China also has some leverage over Ukraine, which would not want to torpedo its chances of getting Chinese support to rebuild the country, said Samuel Ramani, a Russia expert at the University of Oxford.

China stepped up trade with Ukraine after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and did not recognize the annexed territory as Russian, he noted. “More importantly, Zelensky does not want to provoke China so much that it starts arming Russia,” Ramani added.

He can be an honest mediator

China’s close ties to Russia mean that its role will be viewed with deep skepticism. Days before Russia invaded Ukraine, China and Russia announced a borderless partnership.

Although China has called for peace since the beginning of the war, it has largely supported Russia’s position, which has argued that NATO threatens Russia with its eastward expansion and that Ukraine’s western allies are fueling the continuation of the war by providing weapons.

Andrew Small, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, explained that Beijing wants to be seen as doing its part in achieving peace, but is not ready to pressure Putin to end the war and sacrifice relations with Russia.

“Beijing did not use all its influence and did not try to force Russia to do something,” he said.