WASHINGTON — In just a few months, U.S. officials have gone from publicly warning Beijing against Russian material support in its war against Ukraine to admitting that China can play a role in facilitating peace talks. peace.
On February 24, when China announced its 12-point peace plan, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressed skepticism during a Security Council ministerial meeting on Ukraine.
“No member of this council can call for peace by supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Charter of the United Nations”, declared the head of the American diplomacy on the occasion of the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine .
On May 3, Blinken publicly acknowledged that China may play a “very useful” role in the peace talks.
Analysts and former US officials told American media that Washington’s change in tone was partly a response to European allies who see Chinese President Xi Jinping as the only leader capable of influencing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
China recently announced that it would send a special envoy to Ukraine.
China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, is expected to visit Ukraine and other countries to try to broker a ceasefire and a diplomatic settlement of the war.
Asked by American media if the United States thinks China can be an impartial mediator in resolving the conflict in Ukraine, a State Department spokesperson said: “As far as diplomacy is concerned, no decision regarding the Ukraine cannot be taken without the participation of Ukraine. The other important player, of course, is Russia. The Kremlin has yet to show serious interest in ending the war. It’s quite the opposite.”
“No, China cannot be impartial. China clearly supports President Putin,” said Ambassador William Taylor, Vice President for European and Russian Affairs at the Washington-based American Institute for Peace. “Therefore, he cannot present himself as a neutral intermediary.”
Taylor served as U.S. Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy in Kiev in 2019 and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009.
As US President Joe Biden’s administration would explore the possibility of working with Beijing to find a negotiated settlement in Ukraine, Taylor told American media: “The key is to make sure that in any dialogue with China on the Russian war in Ukraine, the Ukrainians are involved.
“If people expect a creative solution from China, they will be disappointed,” said Dennis Wilder, a professor of Asian studies at Georgetown University.
“China doesn’t work like that. If people want China to help, then China is good at it. But the Chinese side very rarely offers a solution,” he added in an interview with American media.
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