WASHINGTON—White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed concern over Beijing’s growing ties to Moscow and its involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, citing China’s peace plan I doubt whether it works.
Kirby told the Epoch Times, “I want them to make the right choice so that they don’t make it easier for Putin to kill Ukrainians.” “They will have to make these choices, and I don’t think it’s in their interest to wholeheartedly side with Russia in this war.”
Kirby said of China’s peace proposal, “Without discussions between China and Ukraine, it’s hard to see how this could represent a sustainable option here.”
Beijing published an article on February 24 titled “China’s Position on the Political Solution to the Ukraine Crisis” in which it seeks to portray itself as the arbiter of the war a year ago. Beijing called the paper a “peace plan” but did not go into detail.
The paper called for “respecting the sovereignty of all countries” and said “the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively maintained.”
At a press conference on February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the territorial integrity defended by the newspaper would require Russia to leave Ukraine.
“Territorial integrity means withdrawal of Russian troops. If it’s not there, it means no problem for us,” he told reporters.
Zelensky also said he hopes to meet with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing’s proposal. “I believe it will benefit the security of our country and the world,” he said.
The paper also urged Chinese officials to “abandon the Cold War mentality” so often used to criticize the United States and its allies, and to “stop unilateral sanctions” against Russia.
To mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kiev on February 20 to hold talks in Poland and reaffirm his commitment to Ukraine. The same week, Russia and China held a high-level meeting in Moscow, where the two countries agreed to strengthen ties.
The White House recently said Beijing was considering sending deadly military aid to Russia.
“I have never seen China make a decision to go in that direction,” Kirby said at a news conference on Monday, adding that there would be ramifications if China chose to provide military support to Russia. rice field.
CIA Director Bill Burns also confirmed in an interview on Feb. 25 that China could send deadly aid to Russia. CBS news.
On February 24, the Biden administration announced new sanctions against Russia and its allies. The measures include tariff hikes and export controls on key Russian sectors, as well as export controls on Chinese entities known to have supported Russia’s war machine.
Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.