China is the only country that can force Russia into truce - Polish FM
Photo: Radosław Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister (Getty Images)
Only China can force Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine. Beijing influences Moscow, states Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, according to The Guardian.
Sikorski said that his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, assured him that China "firmly supports a ceasefire."
"But, of course, to say it is not enough, we would need to see pressure on Russia for the ceasefire to happen, and I personally believe that China is the only country that could actually force a ceasefire in this war," he noted.
The foreign minister recalled that in January 2022, before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces intervened in Kazakhstan’s internal affairs. At that time, in his view, "Beijing told Russia to get out, or else they will stop trading with Russia. … And Russia did get out."
Sikorski pointed out that Russia is now so dependent on China that Beijing has "a very powerful lever" of influence. But the question is whether Beijing will want to use it.
China’s position
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun accused "other countries" of fueling Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In his view, the war allegedly began due to regional security disagreements in Europe.
At the same time, commenting on Europe’s calls to put pressure on Russia, he stated that China is neither a party that "ignited the conflict" nor a participant in it.
