The top diplomats of Ukraine and the United States on Tuesday jointly cautioned against giving any weight to alternate peace plans that seek a cease-fire without the full withdrawal of invading Russian forces, in a subtle rebuff of a recent proposal by China.
"Ill-advised concessions to the aggressor would only encourage Russia to intensify its attacks on democracy, giving it time to rebuild its military capabilities and resume the armed offensive against Ukraine," Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, said at a virtual forum hosted by the U.S. State Department.
Publicly, Kyiv and Moscow have been cautiously receptive to China's 12-point position paper, which reaffirms the "territorial integrity of all countries" without directly mentioning Ukraine, references "legitimate security interests" in deference to Russia, and calls for a quick end to hostilities on the ground.
Outside of Kyiv's government, where elected officials tend to speak more freely, senior Ukrainian lawmakers told Newsweek they were disappointed in Beijing's plan, which, in its current form, would do little to achieve a sustainable peace.
"I think we all have to be very much aware and beware of what may seem to be well-intentioned efforts, for example, to call for cease-fires, which would potentially have the effect of freezing in place the conflict, allowing Russia to consolidate the gains that it's made, and simply use the time to rest and refit and then re-attack," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
"And so what seems to be appealing on the surface—who wouldn't want the guns to be silent?—can also be a very cynical trap that we have to be very, very careful of," Blinken told a panel of other foreign officials on the first of the three-day Summary for Democracy, the Biden administration's second such event.
Apart from the warring parties, China is the only other major power to offer conditions that might bring Russia's yearlong invasion to a close. Kyiv's backers in the West are skeptical of Beijing's proposal, which competes with Kyiv's own 10-point "peace formula" announced last year.
The proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky allows countries to selectively contribute to some initiatives while avoiding others. The points cover everything from radiation and nuclear safety to food, energy and ecological security.
"The formula's sixth point is the withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of hostilities. I want to be clear: Russia has to withdraw from every square meter of Ukrainian territory. There should be no misinterpretation of what the word 'withdrawal' implies," Kuleba said.
"We notice that other nations are also putting forth their own initiatives. We appreciate their focus on a problem that jeopardizes global security. However, I would like to emphasize that the Ukrainian people will accept peace only if it guarantees the cessation of Russian aggression in full, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, and the restoration of our state's territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders."
Last month, on the eve of the anniversary of the war,141 United Nations member states backed a resolution based on Ukraine's peace plan, which has also been supported by the Group of Seven advanced economies and the European Union.
"We need a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, and we know how to get that," Kuleba said.
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