Presenting the 2022 Human Rights Report to the State Department on Monday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken focused specifically on Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow and Beijing’s proposals for a settlement. peace in Ukraine.
As Blinken noted, the United States expects China to “use this visit to reiterate calls for a ceasefire as part of its truce proposals.”
The head of the State Department stressed that “the United States welcomes any initiative that will help ensure a just and lasting peace, including the elements that the United States has long supported, including ensuring nuclear security, resolution of the first crisis and the protection of civilians”.
The Secretary of State recalled that “President Xi arrived in Russia a few days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President (RF) Putin”. He said that as part of this step, “one can assume that China does not feel obliged to hold the Kremlin responsible for the atrocities committed in Ukraine. And instead of condemning them, he prefers to provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue committing such crimes.
As the head of the foreign policy department recalled, the State Department believes that the foundation of any plan to end the war against Ukraine and establish a just and lasting peace “should be to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in accordance with the Charter.”
Blinken said that “any plan that does not prioritize this essential principle is at best (an example of) delaying tactics or simply perpetuating an unfair outcome, which is not (the manifestation of) a constructive approach”.
Furthermore, noted the Secretary of State, “a call for a ceasefire that does not involve the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory would, in effect, mean the ratification of Russian seizures. It would be an acknowledgment of Russia’s attempts to seize territory from a sovereign state by force. This would allow Russia to further strengthen its position in Ukraine.
The State Department believes that “a truce now, without a long-term solution, would give Putin breathing space and an opportunity to redeploy his troops and then resume the war at a time more favorable to Russia,” the chief continued. of American diplomacy.
“The world,” he stressed, “should not be deceived by any tactical move by Russia, backed by China or any other country, to freeze the war on Russian terms. Such a decision would be in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and (violation) of the will of the 141st country which condemned the Russian war in the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The Secretary of State recalled that Ukraine, as one of the parties to the conflict, has already proposed a formula for a just peace and that if China supports an end to the war based on the principles of United Nations Charter, then she can cooperate with the President of Ukraine on the basis of this plan, as well as use her influence on Moscow, to force Russia to withdraw its troops.
According to Blinken, “Russia’s alleged annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory, including large areas it does not even control, and its ongoing brutal attacks on civilians make it clear that (FR) President Putin is not currently not interested in such a peace”.
