President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has shown approval of China’s plan as a “genuine desire” to end the war in Ukraine.
This came in an interview with China’s state news agency published on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, ahead of a two-day visit to the country to meet President Xi Jinping.
Putin is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Thursday, May 16, 2024, his first trip abroad since his March re-election and his second in just over six months to China.
He will also travel to the northeastern city of Harbin for a trade and investment exposition.
Putin praised Beijing’s approach, saying that it truly understood the conflict’s “root causes” and its “global geopolitical meaning.”
Russia views the conflict in Ukraine as a struggle pitting it against a “collective West” that took no account of its security concerns by promoting the eastward expansion of NATO and military activity close to its borders.
China’s 12-point paper for ending the war received a lukewarm reception when it was made public last year.
However, Putin hailed additional measures made public last month as “realistic and constructive steps” that “develop the idea of the necessity to overcome the Cold War mentality.”
Xi’s additional principles, set down in talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, call for a “cooling down” of the situation, conditions for restoring peace and creating stability and minimising the effects on the world economy.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace plan calls for a withdrawal of Russian troops, the restoration of its 1991 post-Soviet borders and bringing Russia to account for its actions.
He has expended great efforts to persuade China to attend a “peace summit” scheduled for June in Switzerland.
However, Russia, which is not invited, dismisses the initiative as meaningless and says talks must take account of “new realities.”
Podolyak Dismisses Putin’s Comments
Ukrainian Presidential Adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed Putin’s comments on possible negotiations over the war as “hypocritical”.
Podolyak adding that “at the same time, Russia continues to burn cities in Donbas and is trying to break through in Kharkiv region, while simultaneously scaling up crimes against civilians.”
Ukraine pulled back troops near several villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been advancing and pounding settlements in a new offensive along the border.
“In certain spots in Lukiantsi and Vovchansk areas, due to the fire impact and assault actions of the enemy, manoeuvres were carried out in order to save the lives of our soldiers, units were removed to advantageous positions,” a military spokesman said on state television.
The country’s emergency services agency also announced that Ukraine has evacuated about 8,000 people from its northeastern Kharkiv region since Russia launched a major ground assault on the area last week.
“Most of them are women, elderly people, people with reduced mobility, and people with disabilities and children,” the state emergency services agency said in a post on Telegram.
Ukraine’s forces “partially pushed back” Russian forces from the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region.
The Ukrainian military said that it is trying to prevent Russia from accumulating troops in the northern part of Vovchansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
The general staff said on Telegram that Russian troops were regrouping in the region and trying to establish positions.
Also on Wednesday, Zelenskyy postponed all upcoming foreign visits amid Russia’s offensive in the north of the Kharkiv region.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed that all international events scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated,” his Press Secretary, Sergii Nykyforov said on Facebook.
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