China balances between Russians and West - Ukrainian President
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: president gov ua)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview with Central Asian media, has stated that China should be defending Ukraine, but instead, Beijing is balancing between the Russians and the West.
"China balances between the Russians and Ukraine. And I would say, in their understanding, between the Russians and the West. It's somewhat, how should I put it... We are not just any country. I believe that there are not just any countries. Every country is important. It's a large mechanism, and every cog is important," he said.
According to him, when a country's stance is between Russia and America, it shows a dismissive attitude toward Ukraine and Ukrainians.
"This is not a war between Russia and America. It is a war between Russia and Ukraine. I have great respect for China, for the people of China, for everything they have achieved economically and technologically. If China doesn't come to the summit, the Russians say they are ready for some kind of summit, and China says, 'We support Russia's efforts.' Is that fair? Is that balancing? I am not even saying that countries like China should defend Ukraine. Because we were attacked. When China talks about respecting territorial integrity, that is the most important thing. Hasn't the Russian Federation under Putin violated our territorial integrity, our sovereignty?" he continued.
Zelenskyy reminded that China, as one of the major players, promised independent Ukraine security in the Budapest Memorandum, based on which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for protection.
"If Ukraine had nuclear weapons, would Russia have attacked us? No. So why talk about the balance between our countries? China should defend Ukraine. In its long struggle for freedom and independence, Ukraine is no longer counting on protection from China but on China balancing and simply being present at the world summit. What more efforts should the President of Ukraine and Ukraine make?" the President concluded.
China's position
Just yesterday, on May 24, Politico reported that China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, might ignore the Global Peace Summit on Ukraine, which will be held in June. The media cited his possible participation in a BRICS meeting scheduled for the same time as the reason.
Before this, on May 23, the governments of Brazil and China published a joint statement on resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine, advocating for political negotiations to achieve peace. They believe that Russia should be included in the conference.
Last year, on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China unveiled a so-called peace plan regarding Ukraine.
