Beijing tried to warn Brussels that sanctions and army support wouldn’t work towards Moscow, diplomat Wu Hongbo has mentioned
The European Union should keep away from driving Russia “right into a nook” and sit right down to talks with Moscow if it hopes to finish the battle in Ukraine, China’s envoy to Europe mentioned on Wednesday.
Chatting with China’s CGTN tv community, Particular Consultant on European Affairs Wu Hongbo mentioned that he warned his EU counterparts from the outset that “army intervention or sanctions” wouldn’t deter Moscow from finishing up its army operation in Ukraine.
“They wouldn’t consider us,” Wu mentioned, including that “for the reason that sanctions didn’t work in any respect and the army provides solely added gasoline to the fireplace,” EU officers have approached the Chinese language Overseas Ministry, asking Chinese language diplomats to “persuade [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to place a cease to the battle.”
Wu added that he advised the Europeans to not “overestimate our affect on Russia,” and reminded them that “Russia is an unbiased sovereign state.”
“We additionally mentioned that the difficulty ought to be dealt with with care,” Wu continued. “For those who proceed to push and there’s no manner for the opposite to maneuver, it’s such as you drive somebody right into a nook and it will likely be very tough for the 2 sides to sit down down.”
Wu insisted that the battle can solely be ended with a “negotiated settlement,” and that no matter safety framework emerges in Europe afterwards, Russia should be concerned in its formation.
The day after Wu’s interview, Chinese language President Xi Jinping met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing. Whereas von der Leyen advised Xi that “it’s important to place an finish to the Russian aggression towards Ukraine,” a readout of the assembly from the Chinese language Overseas Ministry merely mentioned that the EU aspect wish to “work for the settlement of regional hotspots together with Ukraine and the Center East.”
In conferences with Xi and his officers earlier this yr, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz each pressed the Chinese language authorities to persuade Putin to withdraw from Ukraine. Each had been unsuccessful, with Xi persevering with to advertise China’s 12-point roadmap to settling the battle, and the 2 Europeans returning to their insurance policies of arming Ukraine whereas insisting that Kiev alone will resolve when to sue for peace.
You possibly can share this story on social media:
Supply hyperlink
