China Urges Russia, Ukraine To Relaunch Peace Talks 'As Soon As Possible'
China's foreign minister has issued a call for Russia and Ukraine to restart peace talks "as soon as possible" as Beijing fears the conflict "could escalate and get out of control."
Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Thursday told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that he "hopes that all parties will keep calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible and return to the track of political settlement."
Importantly he emphasized that "China hopes that Ukraine and Russia retain hope for dialogue and negotiation."
The timetable is as yet unclear, but Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to travel to Russia soon to meet with Vladmir Putin, which Reuters days ago said could come as soon as next week. Xi has also indicated he plans to speak by phone with Ukraine's Zelensky for the first time since the war broke out, and following last month's unveiling of Beijing's 12-point peace plan.
Interestingly, while the Biden administration has questioned China's motives and the sincerity of its peace plan efforts, on Thursday the White House appeared to soften to the idea of China playing a mediating role, per the AFP/Moscow Times:
The White House said Thursday that talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be a "good thing," but warned Beijing against taking a "one-sided" view of the conflict.
"We think it would be a very good thing if the two of them talk," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about a Wall Street Journal report that the Ukrainian leader is set to talk with Xi for the first time since Chinese ally Russia invaded.
"We support and have supported" contact, Kirby said, while still underscoring that China has been helping Russian aggression, at least on a political level.
SC & FM Qin Gang just had a phone conversation with Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba. Kuleba said China is not only an important cooperation partner of Ukraine, but also an indispensable key major country in international affairs.
— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) March 16, 2023
All of this comes after weeks of US warning China not to send lethal aid to Russia. Biden officials have admitted there's no evidence this has already been done, but say they have intelligence showing Beijing is mulling it.
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