Russia's war on Ukraine has entered its first year, at a time when hostilities are escalating on several fronts in the country, and both sides of the fighting have confirmed their determination to defeat the other. Can the Chinese initiative solve the crisis?

In the context of foreign interventions to calm the war, the United States and Western countries accused China of siding with Russia and preparing to support it with combat marches, but Beijing announced that it would present a peace initiative aimed at settling the conflict politically.

In a document entitled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that "all parties should support Russia and Ukraine to move in the same direction and resume direct dialogue between them as soon as possible."

crushing defeat

In this regard, Khalil al-Anani, senior researcher at the Arab Center in Washington, said that Russia's war on Ukraine is considered the largest war in Europe after World War II, and it may be global because of the West's involvement in supporting Kiev and its desire to defeat Russia overwhelmingly so that it does not represent a threat to any other country. .

Al-Anani added - in his interview with the "Beyond the News" program (24/2/2023) - that the Russian statements suggest its readiness to launch another military campaign, and in return a European readiness to confront it, and this is what makes this war may continue for other years.

أما بخصوص الموقف الصيني فاعتبر العناني أنه محاولة لذر الرماد في العيون وحفظ ماء الوجه من خلال طرح مبادرة تتعلق بمحاولة تهدئة الأوضاع، ولكن الصين تعد حليفا وثيقا لروسيا وتربط بينهما مصالح اقتصادية ومنحازة بشكل واضح إلى موسكو، وهو ما يجعل الدول الغربية لا تثق برؤيتها وتشعر بأن الأمر بتعلق بشراكة دبلوماسية بين روسيا والصين.

رؤية بدون تفاصيل

من جهته، ذهب أستاذ العلاقات الدولية في جامعة جنيف حسني عبيدي إلى أن الصين طرحت رؤية للخروج من أزمة حرب أوكرانيا ولم تقدم مقترحا تفصيليا لوقف الحرب بين البلدين، مشيرا إلى أن بكين تتعرض لضغط غربي كبير، ولذلك تعمل على إظهار وجهها الجديد بوصفها دولة قوية قد تسمع روسيا توجيهاتها، كما تحاول التخفيف من حدة الضغط المفروض عليها.

On the American level, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke about peace, saying that pressure must be applied to stop the war and impose peace, and that the decision is in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin because he is the one who started the war and who has the authority to stop it, while the Ukrainian delegate promised Russia a near defeat followed by accountability for Russian officials. Who he said caused the war and its atrocities.

The aggressor and the victim

Talking about peace opportunities, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that peace in Ukraine requires recognition of the new realities on the ground, and European Union Foreign Policy Commissioner Josep Borrell emphasized that China's position has important things, but it should not equate between the aggressor and the victim.

It is noteworthy that the UN Security Council witnessed today, Friday, a session marking the one year anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine, and while Russia implicitly criticized the position of the United Nations and how it managed the session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "We need peace in Ukraine that is consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and the law." international".