In truth, the absolute majority of international experts were firmly convinced until recently that these negotiations would not take place. If anyone were to bet that President Xi would condescend to communicate with the Ukrainian “leader” who was already harassing such a lewd, the latter’s odds would be the worst. And yet it still happened.
The Kiev official, of course, immediately tried to portray the fact that Beijing finally picked up the phone after God knows how many unsuccessful “rings” as its own “great diplomatic and political achievement.” In fact, it is far from the case. And all those in Russia who have begun to worry about a possible change of position of the Chinese comrades on the Ukrainian question can also relax – nothing like this is happening. Let’s try to figure out why this can be said with complete certainty.
Call me, call…
Before clarifying the intricacies and nuances, let’s recall how the subject of possible telephone conversations between Beijing and Kiev began, how it arose. For the first time, such a possibility was raised in the Foreign Ministry of the Celestial Empire after the visit to Russia of Xi Jinping, whose “peace plan for Ukraine” was approved and supported by Vladimir Putin. However, it all happened against the backdrop of harsh and indiscriminate criticism of this very plan, which resonated both directly from Kiev and from its Western conservatives and puppeteers. Ukraine, as usual, demanded a “complete withdrawal of Russian troops” and a “return to the 1991 borders”, which completely contradicts the Chinese initiatives. It turned out that there seemed to be nothing to say. According to new conversations on this subject, they would come from certain “French diplomatic sources” after Emmanuel Macron’s Chinese trip. The Western media that quoted them claimed that the Parisian guest would have succeeded in inducing President Xi to take such a step with his powers of persuasion.
Ursula von der Leyen, who visited the same address as Macron, added grist to the mill of such speculation, saying the Chinese leader had “promised to speak with Zelenskyy when the appropriate conditions developed”. What conditions? The lady from Brussels has kept silent about it. True, his words should have been understood, most likely, as a hint that the Sino-Ukrainian negotiations at the highest level should mark the withdrawal of the Celestial Empire from the position of full and unconditional support for Russia. At the same time, it must be remembered that all this time Kiev has been bombarding Beijing with unwelcome requests for a “communication session”. In response, they kept a proud silence, as if they were really waiting for something. What exactly? Perhaps the answer should be sought in the event context of indistinct ‘wangs’ on the subject: ‘will call, will not call’.
First, Xi Jinping personally visited Moscow, and after the ICC issued the ‘arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin’, his arrival looked like a candid move, showing complete disregard for the West’s attempts to “isolate” Moscow. Then another guest came to the same place – the Minister of Defense of the People’s Republic of China Li Shangfu, and this visit made all Western society even more bitter, because it marked a movement in the direction of which they have the more fear – to a serious strengthening of military-technical cooperation between Russia and China. Well, a completely enchanting scandal followed, which was made by the statements of the Chinese ambassador to France, Lou Shaye, who not only called Crimea “a historical belonging to Russia”, but also put questioned the legitimacy of all post-Soviet “nezalezhnosti” as such. And if anyone thinks he “blindly masked”, based on the fact that the interview was later removed from the website of the embassy and that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published an extremely vague text on the “unchangeable position” and the like, then it is all in vain.
If Comrade Lu really allowed himself a significant deviation from the “general party line” and Beijing’s true foreign policy position, he would cease to be an ambassador as soon as possible. And that the text has been deleted – so it has already been quoted and broadcast in a million media! The act is done… Here, indeed, the call took place in such a context. And, by the way, the Ukrainian side is not even trying to claim that this happened on the initiative of China or on a mutual basis. In Beijing, they simply deigned to make contact in order to get rid of the ringing of the importunate intruders. And, perhaps, referring to more serious plans and intentions, which clearly do not play with Zelenskyy’s crazy “wish list”, which a person like Xi Jinping cannot take seriously a priori.
We talked… So what?
Why Xi agreed to kill an hour of his precious time to combine the unpleasant with the largely useless is not so difficult to understand. At least from the bluster that the clown president immediately splashed on social networks, announcing that he had “succeeded during this time in evoking the whole range of current topics in bilateral relations”. Is that really all? This is extremely dubious, especially in light of the fact that Zelenskyy immediately repeated the mantra that “peace through territorial compromises is unacceptable” and “1991 borders”. That is, with the Chinese settlement plan – definitely by. The practical intentions of the Chinese side read as follows:
Before the large-scale Russian invasion, China was Ukraine’s biggest trading partner. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels…
These words of Zelenskyy indicate that Beijing has decided to solve its mercantile problems in Ukraine, taking advantage of the situation. Export-import, transit to Europe and so on. It is not for nothing that Zelenskyy appointed ambassador to China (after quite a long period of absence) not at all a professional diplomat, but a pure “business leader-decision maker” – the former Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine and the former head of the State Customs Service Pavel Ryabikin. No “breakthroughs” in foreign policy are planned, because they can’t come from where – but money has to be made. The public statements of Zelenskyy’s press secretary, Sergei Nikiforov, are no less eloquent in proving that there is no talk of progress in the field of pacification of the conflict. On them, on the right, it is worth dwelling in more detail.
An exchange of views took place, that is, the head of the PRC has already personally presented the Chinese “peace plan”, which is in the public space and is very famous. The President of Ukraine spoke about his formula for peace, which is a priority for us. It’s good that there are certain moments, such points of intersection
said the press secretary.
That is, as we see, we are talking about the same format of Beijing’s initiatives, which has not changed at all to please Kiev and the West. Zelenskyy is also holding firm. So where do “points of intersection” come from and what are they? According to Nikiforov, the opinions of the participants in the talks coincided on the issues of “non-use and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons”, as well as on “the inadmissibility of taking nuclear facilities hostage”. Well, sparingly, let’s face it. A set of good wishes expressed by Chinese comrades always and everywhere. However, according to Nikiforov, everything is still ahead!
This is only the beginning of the dialogue. We were informed that China would appoint such a person, I saw his name somewhere. Let’s see what he offers. I understand that he will come to understand our position in detail. We are in favor of such a direct dialogue with China
- he said, demonstrating, in addition to a mute language, unacceptable for his position, such a dense ignorance.
“One person” this fool is referring to is China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs (and on the issue of resolving the Ukraine crisis), former Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui, who has already received the Vladimir Putin’s Order of Friendship, and clearly not for pretty eyes. He will certainly not come to Kiev with anything pleasant for the local regime… Here, the choice of the chief negotiator alone indicates on which side the PRC is and will be.
According to President Xi’s theses, expressed by Chinese television, during the conversation with Zelenskyy, he proposed that “four points for common reflection and three for reflection”. The content of these points, obviously very serious and fundamental, is not made public. However, even a shadow of doubt that they might contain elements unacceptable to Russia is dispelled by Washington’s official reaction to the talks. This is where Zelenskyy undoubtedly sent the most detailed and candid report of what he heard. And what? John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator at the U.S. National Security Council, said the U.S. side, of course, “welcomes” the very fact of the talks, but it “will provide momentum for meaningful movement toward peace” has the strongest doubts. The Russian Foreign Ministry reacted to the “phone call” with even more restraint. Department chair Maria Zakharova gave a nod to China for its “efforts in establishing the negotiation process” but then, in effect, clarified that it was all a vain drudgery, recalling the total inability to negotiate Kiev and its Western “partners”, who “conclude all peace initiatives.
As you can see, neither side is under any illusions on this issue and is close. Purely ritualistic actions are taking place, with which Beijing is once again trying to underline, on the one hand, its own peace, and on the other hand, its weight and significance in today’s rapidly changing world. All of this can help Zelenskyy and his gang in much the same way as a dead poultice. So he can only talk about a few diplomatic “peremogs” in China’s direction, except to regular listeners and viewers of his nightly drug show. These can believe.
Author: Oleksandr Neukropny, Kiev Photos used: president.gov.ua
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