Washington Tries To Halt Beijing Push For Ukraine Truce

"WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is trying to head off a potential proposal from Beijing for a cease-fire in Ukraine ahead of a Russia-China summit, saying suspending fighting now would help solidify Russia's hold on Ukrainian territory.

With Chinese leader Xi Jinping set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, the White House expressed concern Friday about China's deepening ties with Russia during the Ukraine events. That makes a potential call for a cease-fire a one-sided proposal to Russia's benefit, said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

"A cease-fire now is again effectively the ratification of Russian conquest," Mr. Kirby said at a news briefing. Such a move, he said, would give Moscow a chance to entrench its positions and refresh its troops as Ukraine prepares for an anticipated spring offensive.

The pre-emptive criticism of a possible cease-fire proposal is a broadening of a Biden administration effort to use public statements and disclosures to try to narrow Beijing's room for maneuver with Moscow, according to former officials and foreign-affairs analysts.

In recent weeks, U.S. officials citing intelligence have publicly warned that Beijing is considering providing lethal weapons and capabilities to Russia, going beyond trade in goods like drones and jet parts that have both civilian and military uses. Mr. Kirby reiterated that concern, though he said the U.S. has no evidence China has done so.

China has been trying to pose as an alternative power to the U.S., shepherding a diplomatic detente between adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran and issuing initiatives urging new thinking on global security. That message, foreign policy specialists said, resonates at home and with many developing countries grappling with the Ukraine conflict's impact on food prices and energy supplies.

"It creates the image of China trying to play a constructive role," said Janka Oertel, an East Asia security specialist with the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank. "It's part of a broader framing exercise that is currently taking place that is not actually pro-peace or pro-Russian. It's just an anti-American one, because it works really well in the moment."

Beijing hasn't formally called for a cease-fire or offered a peace proposal. A position paper China's Foreign Ministry issued last month on what it called "the Ukraine crisis" called for a political settlement and said all parties should work toward ceasing hostilities. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday that Mr. Xi's visit will "be a trip for peace."

Beijing is benefiting from the Ukraine conflict, and officials as well as Dr. Oertel and other specialists expect that the coming Moscow summit will see Messrs. Putin and Xi push their governments' already close relations further forward." [1]

 

Washington's announcement that "Beijing is considering providing Russia with lethal weapons and capabilities" will draw Zelensky's attention to Beijing's proposals and may reduce Zelensky's willingness to fire further. That goes against Washington's goal. Someone miscalculated again.

 

1. World News: Washington Tries To Halt Beijing Push For Ukraine Truce
Hutzler, Charles.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 18 Mar 2023: A.8.