Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with BBC World that China could force Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
According to the Polish media outlet RMF 24, Sikorski said, “There is no shortage of potential mediators – Türkiye, the UN. China could force Putin to stop this war. But I see no signs that Putin wants to negotiate.”
In his opinion, the war in Ukraine can only end when Putin realizes that “the cost of continuing it in terms of human lives and financial expenses is higher than the goal he wants to achieve.”
Sikorski believes that the war in Ukraine will not end anytime soon, because “Putin may still need time to understand this.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping started his first tour in five years to France. After France, Xi Jinping will travel to Serbia and Hungary, which maintain close ties with Russia.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China, where he met with top Chinese officials, including the country’s leader, and discussed a large number of issues, including Beijing’s support for Moscow. After the trip, Blinken said the US saw evidence of Chinese efforts to “influence and arguably interfere” in the US elections in 2024.
Ukrainian military previously accused Chinna of selling military equipment to Russia, as Ukraine found mortar shells in Russian positions.
The European Union proposed earlier in February new trade restrictions targeting around two dozen firms, including three based in China, accused of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba during a meeting in Munich on 18 February that Beijing does not sell lethal weapons to Russia.
Wang Yi stressed China’s “principled position” on the “Ukraine issue,” emphasizing that China is committed to a political solution to hot spot issues, “advocating for peace” and refraining from selling lethal weapons to conflict regions or parties.
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- Polish FM: If Putin wins, he’ll mobilize Ukraine’s people and industry to continue war, like Hitler did with Czechoslovakia
- Polish FM: Restoring Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders is scenario for resolving war
- Sikorski on Ukraine, Europe, Poland, NATO, and Putin