‘FOR EUROPEAN PEOPLE, DEFEATING RUSSIA IS NOT A REALISTIC GOAL’ – AS CRACKS WIDEN IN NATO AMID MASSIVE PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS TO NEGOTIATE WITH RUSSIA – EVEN ZELENSKY IS KEEN TO MEET WITH XI, SAYS HE’S ‘OPEN’ TO CHINA’S PEACE PROPOSAL DESPITE FIERCE OBJECTION FROM A BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, ACCUSED OF TRYING TO BENEFIT THE U.S. ARMS INDUSTRY BY PROLONGING THE PROXY WAR WITH PUTIN
BERLIN, GERMANY- - FEBRUARY 25: Thousands of people gather during a demonstation held with the organization of left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht and women's rights activist Alice Schwarzer at Berlin's historic Brandenburg Gate, calling for peace negotiations with Russia in the Ukraine war on February 25, 2023 in Germany. The rally, called for a cease-fire and peace negotiations with Russia. Wagenknecht urged for "an end to the bloodshed" in Ukraine on the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. (Photo by Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Zelensky “Open” To China’s Peace Proposal, Wants To Meet Xi Jinping To Discuss
“I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad, but the question is what follows the words,” Zelensky said, according to The Associated Press.
But Zelensky still went so far as to say he wants to meet with China’s leader Xi Jinping to discuss the proposals, perhaps motivated by a sense that Xi could have significant sway with President Putin, making acceptable ceasefire terms more of a reality.
“I plan to meet Xi Jinping and believe this will be beneficial for our countries and for security in the world,” Zelensky said.
According to the BBC:
Speaking on the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he said the proposal signaled that China was involved in the search for peace.
“I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia,” he said.
Despite this unexpected potential diplomatic opening, the White House batted it down, with President Biden telling ABC News on Friday: “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s applauding it, so how could it be any good?“
“I’ve seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia,” he added.
Moscow in the meantime, has repeatedly charged both Washington and the UK with actively plotting to thwart ceasefire negotiations, while NATO countries have said it’s Russia’s ongoing aggression to blame, and that there could be immediate peace if it withdraws all troops. ZERO HEDGE
Demonstrations against weapons supply to Ukraine show expanding rifts within EU, bloc’s strategic misalignment
Thousands of people gather during a demonstration at Berlin’s historic Brandenburg Gate, calling for peace negotiations with Russia in the Ukraine war on February 25, 2023 in Germany. Photo: VCG
After protests in several European countries against the continuous supply of weapons to Ukraine, experts say the divisions within the European Union may also lead to a split within NATO and the public outcry reflects the strategic misalignment of European countries, making their citizens the biggest victims.
According to The Guardian, thousands of people took part in a demonstration on Saturday in central Berlin to protest against giving more weapons to Ukraine, urging the German government to deescalate the crisis by paving the way for negotiations instead.
Police estimated there were 13,000 people at the Brandenburg Gate. Similar demonstrations took place in other German cities as well, The Guardian reported.
The protests in Germany were relatively predictable, since Germany is one of the countries most negatively affected by the Ukraine crisis, Gao Jian, director of the Center for European Think Tank Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday. Europe’s interests have not only been harmed by Ukraine crisis-aggravated energy crisis, but also by the implementation of Washington’s Inflation Reduction Act, which has pushed Europe into a deeper economic crisis.
According to The Guardian, two weeks ago, the organizers of the Saturday’s demonstration had published a “Manifest for Peace” in which they urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to “stop the escalation of weapons deliveries.” It was signed by about 650,000 people, including prominent intellectuals and political figures.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict allowed the US to achieve its strategic goal of sowing discord between Russia and Germany.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a recent television interview that he does not see any prospect for peace talks at present.
Norbert, a former soldier, who held a banner reading: “The real enemy sits in the City of London and New York,” a reference he said to the financial powers who he claimed were behind the war and had no interest in it ending. Germany, he said, had no right to participate in another war after World War II, The Guardian quoted him as saying.
According to China’s national broadcaster CCTV, also on Saturday, hundreds of people demonstrated in Zurich, Switzerland, against the shipment of weapons to Ukraine, calling for an end to the implementation of sanctions against Russia. Demonstrators also called on Switzerland to stop moving closer to NATO.
The US’ manipulating its allies and desire to contain Russia have also turned off the European people, Sun Keqin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times. “So, amid so-called great “unity,” the rifts within Europe are actually getting deeper,” he added.
The EU approved a 10th package of sanctions against Russia on Friday. The package includes tighter export restrictions regarding dual-use goods as well as measures against entities supporting Russia.
Relations between Europe and Russia will be harder to repair after the 10th round of economic sanctions, Gao said. Once investment flows out of Russia, it is hard for Europe to bring it back. The counterproductive reaction to such sanctions can be very damaging to European countries, he warned.
“For European people, defeating Russia is not a realistic goal, but stopping the conflict is the most effective solution. If the European and Russian economies were to “decouple,” as sanctions become more and more extensive, it would deal a devastating blow to the European economy,” Sun said. GLOBAL TIMES
More European leaders to visit China, to seek ‘common ground’ for Ukraine crisis
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will pay a state visit to China from February 28 to March 2, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Saturday.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he would visit China in early April and called on Beijing to “help us pressure Russia” to end the war in Ukraine, AFP said.
Although the nature of the two visits will not be the same, the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be a major focus.
“Belarus is an ally of Russia, and it could increase its involvement in the conflict. Given its geopolitical status and location, China can learn what role Belarus could play in helping advance the peace talks,” Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.
A day before Lukashenko’s visit was announced, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang talked with Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik on the phone, saying that China is willing to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and deepen political mutual trust.
On the Ukraine crisis, Qin introduced China’s 12-point position paper, China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, which emphasizes that China always stands on the side of peace and urges the resumption of negotiations as soon as possible while avoiding further escalation. Aleinik said Belarus completely agrees and supports China’s position paper, noting that China’s relevant proposals have great significance to resolving the crisis.
“To resolve the Ukraine crisis, we can’t simply exert pressure on Russia or Putin like the West wants. We need to find out if China and Belarus can find some common ground and jointly play a certain role, which will be a major focus of this visit,” Cui said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel may visit China in the first half of 2023 with preparations already underway, Chinese Ambassador to the EU Fu Cong told the Global Times in an exclusive interview. “China and the EU are expected to usher in frequent high-level mutual visits soon,” he said.
This positive trend of growing high-level exchanges between China and Europe shows that Europe does not want to see a protracted Russia-Ukraine conflict, as the bloc’s economy and competitiveness have been weakened by it, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Sunday.
“Europe is gradually walking out of some irrational sentiment toward China, as they slowly understand China’s position and raise more suspicions toward the US, especially following the Nord Stream sabotage,” Wang said.
Macron, questioned about whether he will ask Beijing to help pressure Russia, was quoted as saying in media reports that the move aims to ensure Kremlin never uses chemical or nuclear weapons – the main points mentioned in China’s position paper – and to “stop this aggression prior to negotiations.”
“There are certainly great differences in China’s and Europe’s positions on the Ukraine crisis, mainly due to a different understanding of the nature of the conflict,” Cui said. As many European countries are also NATO members, they would not accept that the conflict was due to the NATO’s eastward expansion, the expert said.
However, Chinese officials and experts believe that the existing divergences should not hinder China and Europe to work together and find a practical solution.
“China values France’s advocacy for Europe being strategically independent, and France has a relatively independent foreign policy tradition. To avoid a bloc-driven confrontation, it’s important to advance multipolar development,” Cui said.
On the Ukraine crisis, France hopes to seek a balanced solution, which is, however, not allowed in the West. But it does not mean that China and France could not enhance the coordination to find a balanced and sustainable way for ending the crisis, the expert noted. “If this solution is brought up by China and France, or China and Europe together, it’s more likely to be accepted by relevant parties,” Cui said. GLOBAL TIMES
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