China is proposing to convene a ‘genuine peace conference’ to resolve the ‘military conflict’ in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers in Nizhny Novgorod.
Moscow and Kyiv should participate in the peace summit on an equal footing, the Chinese diplomat said.
"The crisis in Ukraine continues to drag on. China advocates the timely convening of a genuine peace conference approved by the Russian and Ukrainian sides,’ Wang Yi was quoted as saying on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The Chinese minister added that the BRICS countries should take an independent, objective and unbiased position on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine. He also believes that the BRICS member states should oppose attempts to reignite a new Cold War.
The peace summit on Ukraine will take place on 15-16 June in Switzerland. Invitations to the event were sent to 160 countries, and 90 of them have agreed to participate.
The heads of several G7 countries are expected to attend: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian and Japanese Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Fumio Kishida, and French President Emmanuel Macron. The United States will be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
China, India, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Mexico, and Nicaragua refused to participate in the forum. Turkey, Brazil and South America did not respond to the invitation. russia was not invited to the conference. Moscow is expected to be involved in the discussion at the next stage, when world leaders will develop the basic principles of a peace agreement.
Background. Earlier, China claimed that its peace plan for Ukraine had international support – according to the Chinese foreign minister, 45 countries had allegedly supported the ideas presented in the alternative plan.
After Beijing announced its refusal to participate in the Swiss summit, Zelenskyy accused China of ‘working hard’ to prevent other countries from attending.