China urged Russia and Ukraine to resume peace negotiations as soon as possible and warned that nuclear weapons should not be used in this conflict, according to a document released on Friday on the first anniversary of the war.
“All parties should support Russia and Ukraine to work in the same direction and resume direct dialogue as quickly as possible,” the Foreign Ministry said in this 12-point document for a “political solution” to the conflict.
Beijing also rejected the use of nuclear weapons in this conflict, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of his participation in a nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States.
“Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must never be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons must be opposed,” the document added.
Likewise, the text stressed the need to protect civilians: “The parties to the conflict must strictly respect international humanitarian law and avoid attacking civilians or civilian installations.”
China tried to position itself as a neutral party in this conflict, although it maintains its ties with its strategic ally Moscow.
The head of his diplomacy, Wang Yi, met on Wednesday in the Russian capital with Putin and his Foreign Minister Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, during a visit to present his “political solution” to the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had not seen China’s peace plan and wanted to meet with representatives from Beijing to discuss the proposal before offering his views.
“I think it is a very positive development in general that China is starting to talk about Ukraine and send signals,” Zelensky said.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, China has offered Putin diplomatic and financial backing, but has refrained from any military involvement or sending deadly weapons.