Members of delegations from Ukraine and Russia, including Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky (second left), Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak (second right), Volodymyr Zelensky's "Servant of the People" lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia (third right), hold talks in Belarus' Gomel region on Feb 28, 2022. (SERGEI KHOLODILIN / BELTA / AFP)
With the Ukraine crisis continuing into its fifth day on Monday, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops has become fiercer and the humanitarian disaster is worsening. An imminent refugee crisis is also looming as thousands of Ukrainians are trying to flee the country.
The magnitude of the Ukraine crisis would have been unimaginable to most people even just a week ago. Hence, any possibility of negotiations bringing an end to the crisis should have the full support of the international community.
But Western voices cannot be allowed to dominate the voice of the international community. Rather than seeking to mediate the crisis, Western powers, especially the United States and NATO leaderships, have been instigators and fuelers of the crisis.
Fully demonstrating their lack of impartiality, since the conflict began, Western countries, headed by the US, have imposed various sanctions aimed at debilitating Russia and rushed to provide Ukraine with weapons. The US and its European allies are making an unprecedented move to exclude Russia from the SWIFT interbank communication system.
Their efforts to exert extreme pressure on Russia are only aggravating the situation. It raises questions about the morality of these Western countries which are evidently willing to exploit the suffering of the Ukrainian people so long as Russia is mired in trouble, which they no doubt hope will lead to internal turmoil and regime change.
The international community needs to support direct talks in a neutral and fair way so that a long-lasting solution to the problems can be found, that means not letting the West try to dictate how the talks play out from behind the scenes.
Even then it will not be easy for talks to yield a positive outcome, as Ukraine and Russia have to bridge the deep mistrust between them. Both will need to demonstrate sincerity and a spirit of compromise and diplomatic flexibility to achieve a solution that does not create grievances that may fester and erupt again at a later date.
China supports all diplomatic efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis and has steadfastly encouraged direct dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said, Ukraine should function as a bridge between the East and the West, not as a frontier in big power confrontation.
Given that the Ukraine crisis has evolved from a complex historical context, China is also urging the European Union and Russia to enter into an equal-footed dialogue on European security issues with the aim of reaching a consensus of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism.
With talk of nuclear weapons being bandied about by various parties, the urgency for rational dialogue to restore a sense of perspective is clear.
Not only should the two belligerent parties seize the opportunity of negotiations, the West, too, should cherish the possibility of talks de-escalating tensions. All parties should refrain from stoking more confrontation and conflict through reckless moves or wild talk.
