The White House has voiced hostility to any efforts by Beijing to mediate a ceasefire in the conflict as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepared to visit his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the first time since the weeks before to war breaking out in Ukraine. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is expected to come up during Xi’s visit to Russia, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin both confirmed on Friday.
The trip comes in response to a 12-point peace proposal that China presented last month on the anniversary of the conflict, highlighting the necessity of a ceasefire coupled with negotiations and the lifting of sanctions against Moscow.
However, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s strategic communications coordinator, argued that such a cessation of hostilities would not be the positive development it may seem to be just one week after China was successful in brokering a surprise agreement for Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia to reestablish relations.
While everyone is distracted with Trump’s impending arrest, President Xi just called Putin his “dear friend.”
Thanks to Joe Biden, America is divided while our two strongest adversaries are now united.pic.twitter.com/QxtibcD9RF
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 20, 2023
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Just Say No To Peace
A similar action, according to Kirby, “would, in effect, recognize Russia’s gains, and its attempt to conquer his neighbor’s territory by force, allowing Russian troops to continue to occupy sovereign Ukrainian territory, and, of course, it would be another continued violation of the U.N. Charter,” he claimed during a virtual press conference on Friday.
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According to him, Russian troops would use a cease-fire as an opportunity to “only further entrench their positions in Ukraine” and “to rebuild, refit, and refresh their forces so that they may resume operations on Ukraine at a moment of their choosing.”
According to Kirby, “We do not believe that this is a step towards a just and durable peace and, as we have all discussed, a just and durable, a sustainable peace has got to be one that is not one-sided and respects the basic idea of solid Ukrainian sovereignty in this case, which the Chinese say they do want to respect.”
Ahead of the meeting between Putin and Xi this week, White House spokesman John Kirby reiterates the longstanding US position that any calls for a ceasefire would be “unacceptable.” From the outset, the US has always vigorously opposed any cessation of hostilities in Ukraine pic.twitter.com/4asJwppcJP
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) March 20, 2023
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All War, All The Time
“We all want to see the war end, and we’re still committed to that goal, but as I said, for the war to stop, it has to finish in a just fashion that respects Ukrainian prerogatives and totally respects Ukrainian sovereignty,” he continued. And while a cease-fire may seem good at the moment, we do not think it would have that effect.
When Kirby was quesstion whether the U.S. was departing from its stated position that it represents Ukrainian intersts by opposing a ceasefire, Kirby responded, “I won’t speak for President [Volodymyr] Zelensky or what he’s willing to consider or not, he’s been pretty vocal as of late that he doesn’t support that.”
Reprinted with permission. View this story and more on WayneDupree.com.
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