Peace negotiations on the war in Ukraine will be impossible without the participation of Russia and China, Czech President Petr Pavel told the Czech Republic in an interview published on July 25.
Although about 100 countries and organizations attended Ukraine's world peace meeting in Switzerland in June, Moscow was not invited to participate, and Beijing did not accept the invitation.
Kiev announced plans to convene a second peace summit before the end of 2024.
"Without Russia and China at the table, there really won't be any peace negotiations”, the Czech head of state is confident.
Pavel described the peace summit in Switzerland as a "kick-off" for starting the process of political negotiations for peace: "The important thing is that the process has started”.
The Czech president also referred to China as an "important global player" economically, but, in his words, it is not currently a leading force "in the politics of promoting peace".
Beijing positioned itself as neutral in the war between Russia and Ukraine, but at the same time deepened economic ties with Moscow and supported the country against Western sanctions.
China has also become one of Russia's leading sources of dual-use goods that power Russia's defense industry.
Russia and China should be reminded that "the rules we agreed upon after the Second World War, according to which the world has worked for 80 years and must continue to work, must be respected,'' Pavel noted.
"We should try to improve these rules, not abolish them,”, he added.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba arrived in China on June 23 and held a conversation lasting more than three hours with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Guangzhou on June 24.
Kuleba stressed after the meeting that China remains "unwavering" committed to Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on July 24 that China has confirmed that it will not provide Russia with weapons.
"China has always been firmly committed to promoting a political solution to the crisis," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
General Pavel: Peace talks in Ukraine without Russia and China are absolutely impossible **** Moscow and Beijing must be
Moscow and Beijing must be reminded that the rules we agreed upon after World War II, under which the world has operated for 80 years, must be respected and it must continue to work, the Czech president noted
Jul 25, 2024 22:40 163
