'Nuances' must be added to China's proposed plan, says Moscow | War in Ukraine

Pedestrians walk past a destroyed building in Kupyansk, in the region of Kharkiv, February 13, 2023.

Russia on Tuesday commented on China's plan presented last week to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying nuances needed to be made to Beijing's document that urged both sides to agree on a ceasefire. -fire and to promote de-escalation.

In comments published Tuesday by the Izvestia newspaper, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov believes that the voice of Beijing, which last year sealed an unlimited partnership with Moscow, had to be listened to, but that nuances to the Chinese proposal were necessary.

Earlier, Mr. Peskov said at a press conference that Russia is paying great attention to the project of its Chinese friends.

The details must obviously be carefully analyzed to take into account the interests of all the different parties. It's a very long and intense process, he said.

There is no indication at this time that a peaceful solution to the conflict can be found, the Kremlin spokesman added, underlining Russia's willingness to continue what it describes as a special military operation in Ukraine.

Last Friday, a year after the launch of the Russian offensive against Ukraine, the Chinese government published a 12-point document calling on Moscow and Kiev in particular to hold peace talks.

But if China wants to play the role of mediator in this conflict, its position as an ally of Russia disqualifies it in the eyes of the West, who support Ukraine.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has deemed it necessary to work with Beijing to work towards a resolution of the conflict. Mr. Zelensky also said he planned to meet soon with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

A few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya, Turkey.

Turkish diplomacy had begun intense mediation between the two belligerents to organize a meeting in Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had continued talks with kyiv and Moscow for a few weeks, assuring that the two sides were close to an agreement. But the negotiations ultimately failed.

Beginning of the widget. Skip the widget? End of the widget. Back to top of widget?With information from Agence France-Presse, and Reuters