China’s Position on Ukraine Security
On Monday, Lin Jiang, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, stated that China will not be sending troops to help secure Ukraine’s borders.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned that Russia will revisit a proposal from 2022 aimed at “guaranteeing” Ukraine’s security through forces from the UN Security Council, which would include both Russia and China.
Ukraine has repeatedly rejected the idea that Russia has any control over its security. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed skepticism on Friday, particularly about the trustworthiness of Russia and its allies.
Zelensky questioned, saying, “Why isn’t China one of the security guarantors? A guarantor that doesn’t support Ukraine is of no use to us. Beijing has aided Russia by facilitating access to the drone market.”
On Saturday, a report from Diewelt indicated that Beijing is “willing to send soldiers to Ukraine as part of its peace mission,” but only if the UN were to authorize such a deployment.
According to discussions with various EU diplomats, there are mixed feelings about this potential involvement. Some view the expansion of guarantees for Ukraine’s security as positive, believing that China’s participation could ease Russia’s concerns about NATO’s proximity to its borders.
However, other diplomats voiced concerns regarding the risks associated with China, such as espionage and the possibility of taking a pro-Russian stance during future conflicts.
Lin Jiang refuted the claims made by Diewelt, stating, “This information is incorrect. China’s position on Ukraine remains clear and consistent.”
Additionally, Lavrov spoke on NBC News, slightly modifying Russia’s demands. He noted that any security guarantor for Ukraine should be “neutral,” not aligned with any military bloc, and “nuclear-free,” which would exclude Russia, China, and the United States, all of whom are nuclear powers.
Lavrov suggested that Germany and Turkey might be acceptable candidates for securing Ukraine’s borders in a way that would satisfy Moscow.
