NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged alliance members to back Ukraine’s peace initiative rather than a new Chinese-led proposal, POLITICO reports.
In an interview on 30 September, Stoltenberg responded to Türkiye’s decision to join the “Friends for Peace” initiative launched by China and Brazil last week.
Türkiye’s decision to join the “Friends for Peace” initiative, launched by China and Brazil, marks a notable shift. Türkiye becomes the only NATO member among the 17 participating countries. This move aims to find a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine without “choosing sides” or promoting “bloc confrontation.” NATO leadership skepticism greeted this plan.
“We should support the Ukrainian initiative,” Stoltenberg told Politico. “The Ukrainian peace initiative is an initiative that ensures that we have a process that can lead to a lasting peace.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the initiative as not about “choosing sides in the war, not about bloc confrontation, and not about replacing existing platforms.”
However, Kyiv expressed disappointment with Beijing’s move. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously accused China of attempting to undermine a peace summit in Switzerland scheduled for June, which both Russia and China boycotted.
In contrast, Switzerland, a key mediator in the conflict, has shown interest in the Chinese-Brazilian initiative. Nicolas Bideau, chief spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Affairs Ministry, told Reuters that Switzerland’s view of the Chinese plan has evolved since a reference to the UN Charter was added.
The development comes as Stoltenberg prepares to step down from his role as NATO secretary-general.
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